Bird takes flight along the River of Grass
Thanks to David Hanrahan and the great team at Futureview, I am working on a video for The Everglades Foundation. Ted, my cameraman, and I had the pleasure of exploring the Everglades from South to North during a whirlwind shooting weekend. The video will be shown at The Everglades Foundation gala. The video is opening for Sting! Never thought I would be opening for Sting! Will post the video and some stills soon.
Some thoughts I recorded on the trip:
Started in DC at 4:15am – drive/flight/rental car/getting lost/ but ready to shoot in in the Everglades 1pm
My cameraman Ted is a sweet guy from South Dakota. He’s not old enough to drive the rental car. Enough said. I’m doing my least favorite thing in the world- using a one man band- but he’s enthusiastic and we are having a good time.
We met up with Ranger Rachel- and she took us through a section of the park today. Ranger Rachel comes from Alaska- she’s a seasonal employee and travels between National Parks- Florida in the Winter and Denali National Park during the summer. She has the patience of a saint as tourist after tourist asks her the exact same question… “Why are the fish dead?. You see, there was a cold spurt a few weeks back- so cold, in fact, it killed off all non-native fish species. There are some exotic creatures that found their way into the ecosystem and frankly- wreaked havoc. It’s amazing how mother nature takes care of itself. Fish and pythons causing major trouble did not survive the cold blast. Lizards and other cold blooded creatures just froze in a strange tableau. Rachel told us that the lizards would fall out of trees, but as they warmed up, would scurry off.
The best part- I took a few moments to realize how lucky I am to have a job that forces me every so often to stop for a moment, listen to nature, look at the sky and feel the breeze. We saw Egrets and Vultures and alligators and spoonbills and other birds I don’t know the names.
It was also my job to make sure we shot the sunrise over Florida Bay. Now, if it wasn’t my job, I would have stayed asleep in my hotel, or tent, or wherever it may be… but instead, I sat and witnessed the sunrise. A sweet, quiet, warm sunrise. i asked myself why I don't do something as simple as this more often, but remembered I'm a mom, wife, and business lady working my butt off...sometimes sleep is more important. But I made sure to take a deep breath and be in the moment- appreciate, listen, enjoy.
Later in the morning we met up with Captain Randy- our airboat captain and driver for the day. His business card says he’s “airboat captain, alligator wrestler, and tour guide”. He’s an Everglades native and looks exactly like you would picture. The airboat ride was quite a blast- although not the most effective mode of transportation for filming. The sound scares all of the creatures away!
