The pause brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 became one of the most productive times for photographer Todd Bertolaet.

Always captivated by the St. Marks Wildlife Refuge, he found solace walking the trails during quarantine and taking in north Florida’s unique landscapes from behind his panoramic camera lens. 

For Bertolaet, these excursions marked a return to a series he began in 1987, capturing the vistas and waterways of the refuge and the Hickory Mound Impoundment about 30 miles southeast of St. Marks on Apalachee Bay. These images were originally included in his monograph titled “Crescent Rivers” published in 1998 by The University Press of Florida.

“My three daughters grew up in the canoe I took when I was photographing the St. Mark’s River and Wacissa River for what ended up being my monograph,” remembers Bertolaet. “For me, it’s been about going out, seeing things, and being captivated by light, patterns, and textures. There’s a drive to photograph that or to recreate that.”

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