For Julia Sims, photography originally served as an excuse to spend time in the Manchac Swamp. She had turned to the swamp for solace after a family tragedy and visited the swamp frequently. As her concern for the vanishing wetlands grew, she was inspired to document the swamp and share her love of nature with the world.
Veiled behind dense drapes of Spanish moss and walls of wondrous cypress trees, Manchac Swamp is a wilderness jewel accessible only by boat. Drawn to the swamp’s mystery and eventually captivated by its peace, Sims spent fifteen years patiently penetrating its secrets. The result, trapped on film, is the many moods, flora, and fauna of this hidden world. Now, in this stunning album of her photographs, a glimpse of that world in its seasonal variations is offered to all.
In an evocative introduction to the book, John Kemp draws upon his interviews with several residents. They are a rare group who are known as “guardians of the swamp” and consider their existence a study in life as they learn to coexist with the majesty that surrounds them. They make their living off of the land. As deteriorating environmental conditions reduce or eliminate wildlife, there is, in turn, a diminished harvest for them as trappers, hunters, and fishermen, and a diminished heritage for all of us.
About the Photographer
For more than ten years, Sims’s work has been the subject of feature stories and reviews. Magazines such as National Geographic, Birder’s World, and Reader’s Digest have published her photographs. Her work has been exhibited at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Louisiana Sportsman’s Show, and the Louisiana Wildlife Festival. Her photography can also be found in Vanishing Paradise: Duck Hunting in the Louisiana Marsh, published by Pelican.
About the Author
John R. Kemp, a native New Orleanian, is the New Orleans correspondent for Art & Antiques and ARTnews magazines and a frequent contributor to American Artist magazine. He has written about art, history, and New Orleans for many other national and regional publications such as American Style, France Magazine, and the Boston Globe. His numerous books include Rolland Golden: The Journeys of a Southern Artist, Alan Flattmann’s French Quarter Impressions, and Vanishing Paradise: Duck Hunting in the Louisiana Marsh, all published by Pelican.
MANCHAC SWAMP
Louisiana’s Undiscovered Wilderness
Photographs by Julia Sims
Introduction by John Randolph Kemp
NATURE / Wildlife
152 pp. 10 x 12
143 color photos 1 color map Index
ISBN: 9781589805293