Alberta Tar Sands The True Price of Petroleum by Garth Lenz, April 30,2011

Disguised by the beauty of a reflection, these toxic tailings ponds are a considerable health risk. These vast toxic lakes are completely unlined and nearly a dozen of them lie on either side of the Athabasca River. Each day, enough of this toxic sludge is produced to fill 720 Olympic sized pools. Toxins leak into the Athabasca from Suncor’s, now “reclaimed” Tar Island pond, at a rate of one million gallons per day, the equivalent of about two Olympic-sized pools. Photograph © Garth Lenz

Alberta Tar Sands The True Price of Petroleum

by Garth Lenz, Fellow, International League of Conservation Photographers, April 30, 2011

The G2 Gallery Exhibit - Nature L.A.: Robert Glenn Ketchum

The G2 Gallery 

1503 Abbott Kinney Blvd., Venice, CA 90291

~ presents ~ 

"Nature LA:  Robert Glenn Ketchum"

March 29, 2011 - April 24, 2011

From March 29th to April 24th, The G2 Gallery in Venice is going to exhibit some very interesting aspects of my work, a seldom-viewed embroidery, and 18-panels of a repeating leaf motif that is part of my new experimentation in the digital darkroom.

 

The AIPAD Photography Show New York, March 17-20, 2011

It is infrequently that I have the opportunity to exhibit the silk embroideries and loom-weavings that I have been doing in China since the early 1980's because they are fragile and take much transportation and display care. Quite frankly, many curators also have not given them serious consideration yet, or even understand what I am doing, so they are often "excluded" from my photography exhibits. Therefore, I AM VERY EXCITED that my long-time friends and gallery representatives, Peter and Judy Wach, will be displaying several of my newest and most amazing pieces at The AIPAD Photography Show New York in the Park Avenue Armory from March 17-20, 2011. The Wach Gallery is booth #408.

Robert Glenn Ketchum: The Boat Company - My Fav Places

Photograph © 2011 Robert Glenn Ketchum. For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form.

The Tongass rainforest is one of the most beautiful places I have ever adventured. It is also one of the rarest rainforests in the world because it is not on the equator, but rather, almost within the Arctic Circle. Home to massive old growth trees, huge Grizzly bear, the largest eagle population on the planet, and a daily show of marine life that includes Orca, whale, seals, etc., the fiords and mountains of southeast Alaska / The Inside Passage are a must if you expect to "see" Alaska.

The lazy tourist tries to do all of this from a cruiseship and consequently misses most of the show. These boats can never "get into" the really great places where you can view this world at a personal level. But, if not a large cruise liner, then what? It IS a cool, and sometimes cold, rainforest which means rain on most days and a lot of rain on some days, and then there are the bears. The PERFECT solution is to cruise on smaller boats, and the best of those plying the waters of Southeast and the Tongass belong to The Boat Company.

Photograph © 2011 Robert Glenn Ketchum. For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form.

Their flagships are small (20-26 persons), brilliant staffed, equipped to do everything, AND it would be hard to find this kind of comfort, even at onshore lodging. The Boat Company has converted older workboats to luxury vessels adorned with beautiful wood decks and details. With well-designed space, staterooms provide ample comfort (but most of the time you WANT to be outside so as not to miss anything) and that leaves room for generous common areas, kayaks, fishing gear, wet gear storage, and 19¹ aluminum skiffs for ship-shore transport, fishing and exploration.

Photograph © 2011 Robert Glenn Ketchum. For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form.

The fantail is an enclosed dining area where some of the best meals ever get served, often consisting of the days fresh catch of salmon or Dungeness crab, and the meals are prepared by gourmet chefs recruited from fine cooking schools. Evening camaraderie usually covers the days various adventures that may have taken different groups in differing directions, so everyone has something to say about their journey. We are all bonded by the astounding experiences. It also helps that if the hike was wet or the fishing day windy, we have all had a great hot shower before dinner and are now wearing dry clothes.

Photograph © 2011 Robert Glenn Ketchum. For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form.

Daily trips might include kayaking a tidal area to investigate pools and shoreline, a hike in the woods to an elevated viewpoint for a breathtaking glimpse of the forested islands, or a round of fishing for whatever can be caught, salmon, halibut, char, Dolly Varden,Yum! Trips are designed for all levels of fitness and willingness. All trips include knowledgeable guides and naturalists who are constantly downloading information about the surroundings. The Boat Company has been one of the leadership groups in defending the Tongass from clearcut destruction and their staff specifically addresses the rich biodiversity of your trek or paddle. Walks in the old-growth forests are very revealing and quite out-of-this-world. You will not only feel transported to another time of giant vegetation, but you will actually learn about the old-growth forest and how important its continued survival is for all of us.

Photograph © 2011 Robert Glenn Ketchum. For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form.

I have been aboard The Boat Company's various boats numerous times with, and without my children (who love the trips and rate them as their BEST), and I am grateful to the owners of The Boat Company, the family members of The Mcintosh Foundation, for there unending commitment to protecting the Tongass. They supported my 1986 book, The Tongass: Alaska's Vanishing Rain Forest, helping me to distribute it in Congress, distributing another 30,000 copies on their own through their network, and also helping to put up the national traveling exhibit about the Tongass that was premiered at the National Museum of Natural History (DC) on Earth Day in 1994 (without the Alaskan delegation succeeding in taking it down, although they tried). And now, The Boat Company is supporting International League of Conservation Photographer's Fellow, Amy Gulick, and her new book about the Tongass:, 'Salmon In The Trees'.

Photograph © 2011 Robert Glenn Ketchum. For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form.

The Boat Company not only talks-the-talk, telling and showing you this remarkable place, they also walk-the-walk, placing their time and money into sustainable tourism alternatives in Southeast and direct action in Washington, DC. They walk-the-walk when they take you out into the Tongass as well, ...whether it is just watching glaciers calve into awesome vertical fiords from the safety of their Almar aluminum skiffs, or actually following "secret" bear trails in the woods to epic giant trees in the rain, you will always be grateful you did this and I doubt you will ever be uncomfortable because of the conditions. Having spent much time in this rainy world camping with kayaks, I can assure you that are less determined than I, but no less appreciative of such a magnificent world, that a Boat Company trip is an ultimate journey to very special and unique part of Alaska. Don't miss it and Welcome Aboard!

In Defense of the Natural World by Robert Glenn Ketchum, January 3, 2011

In Defense of the Natural World 
by Robert Glenn Ketchum, Founding Fellow, International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP), January 3, 2011

Robert Glenn Ketchum is a world-renowned conservation photographer, a United Nations’ Outstanding Environmental Achievement Award winner, one of Audubon’s 100 people who “shaped the environmental movement in the 20th Century” and the first visual artist in residence at Sundance. As of 2010, Ketchum became No. 5 in American Photo magazine’s Master Series. According to American Photo, “He is not a household name, even in genteel households familiar with photography’s luminaries. He wouldn’t be counted in the firmament of Richard Avedon, Annie Liebovitz, Henri Cartier-Bresson or Helmut Newton, the subjects of American Photo’s prior Master Series issues. Robert Glenn Ketchum, a champion of the modern environmental movement for more than 30 years, may well be the most influential photographer you’ve never heard of.”

Seth Wescott - The Most Interesting Man in Telluride

2006 & 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist, snowboarder Seth Wescott. Photograph 2010 © Neil Hastings.

Yesterday Mountain Lodge Telluride was host to a photoshoot of the 2006 & 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist, snowboarder Seth Wescott, for Bollé Performance Eyewear. What a great subject and a super nice guy!

2006 & 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist, snowboarder Seth Wescott. Photograph 2010 © Neil Hastings.

We decided his shoot was reminiscent of Dos Equis' frontman, The Most Interesting Man in the World, so we at Mountain Lodge are dubbing Seth 'The Most Interesting Man in Telluride'!

2006 & 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist, snowboarder Seth Wescott. Photograph 2010 © Neil Hastings.

Anyway, be your own judge. And in-keeping with the competitive nature of this week's LG FIS Snowboardcross (SBX) in Telluride, we at the Mountain Lodge encourage anyone to submit your opinions!

2006 & 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist, snowboarder Seth Wescott. Photograph 2010 © Neil Hastings.

Mountain Lodge Telluride, Telluride, Colorado
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#lbp

Robert Glenn Ketchum named by Outdoor Photography as one of 40 Most Influential Nature Photographers

"40 Most Influential Nature Photographers - We Reveal the Real Conservation Movers and Shakers"

British magazine, Outdoor Photography, has selected the top 40 nature photographers from around the globe who go the extra mile to use their images and time to help highlight (and even fix) some of the most pressing environmental and conservation issues.


#16 - Robert Glenn Ketchum, USA

INFLUENCE: Robert's photographs and his personal activism have helped to define photography's successful use in conservation advocacy. He was named by Audubon magazine as one of the 100 people who 'shaped the environmental movement of the 20th century' and he is a lifetime trustee of the Alaska Conservation Foundation.

CURRENT PROJECTS: "I am working to protect the salmon fishery of Bristol Bay from a proposed Canadian mine called the Pebble."

MOTIVATION: "My work has never just been about pictures of nature. My photographs seek to define wild places so they can be more fully understood."

www.robertglennketchum.com



#RbtGlennKetchum
#LittleBearProd

Robert Glenn Ketchum: My Fav Places: Camp Denali

"Denali From the Road Within 5-Miles of Camp Denali". Photograph © 2010 Robert Glenn Ketchum
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

Most of you know that since the mid-1980's I have spent some part of every year in Alaska, ­sometimes as much as half the year. I love Alaska, and in my life it is the greatest wilderness experience I have ever had. It is bigger and wilder than most of us can imagine. That is the beauty of it, but also the factor that intimidates many potential visitors. If you do not book some lame cruise or excursion packed with clients that want complete luxury and protection, how do you experience the best Alaska has to offer, mixing the wild with the civil?

There are two choices for me, the incomparable CAMP DENALI in Denali National Park and The Boat Company in the Tongass rainforest. I address The Boat Company/Tongass in another post on this blog, so for now I hope to turn your attention to CAMP DENALI.

It hard to imagine the scale of Denali National Park and the experience it provides. At more than 6,000,000 acres! and containing North America's highest summit, Denali park is unparalleled in our National Park system ­ it is the crown among the jewels. It is also VERY big and VERY wild!

Photograph ©2010 Michael DeYoung
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

If you come to Denali as part of tour group, you will discover (to the surprise of many) that you will stay in lodges outside the park, you will NOT see the summit on a daily basis, and to really see anything, you will have to take an all-day bus ride from your lodge EVERY day. That bus ride likely won't take you much more than 1/2 way into the park! You will see animals, but you will have little time to enjoy the experience because you are on a schedule.

Photograph Courtesy of Camp Denali
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

There is ONLY ONE WAY to truly "get" this amazing wild place ­CAMP DENALI!

Photograph Courtesy of Camp Denali
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

CAMP DENALI is a "rustic" camp located in the center of the park, and it has been constructed on ridgeline FACING the summit so that all cabins have windows with a view of the peak --­ this is important as the summit is only visible an average of 40 days out of the year. (Inside the park there are a few other small lodges, however they have no view of Denali.)

CAMP DENALI was homesteaded and founded in 1951 by two Alaskan Pioneer women Celia Hunter and Ginny Wood, and they knew what they were doing! Constructed and added to over many years, CAMP DENALI features cozy, hand-built log cabins warmed by classic wood stoves and lit by propane lamps. Each cabin is separate from the others by some distance, and each has a spring fed water source plumbed to a spigot immediately outside with a discreet privy quite close by. The cabins have been designed for the view, so they feature huge glass windows facing Mt. McKinley and on a cold night under a full moon, should the summit emerge from it's cloud cap, you can enjoy the sight from your snuggly, quilt-covered bed.

Photograph ©2010 Michael DeYoung
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

There are several "commons" facilities that include very comfortable men's and women's showers, a natural history room with a piano, a "library" and gathering room where evening programs are held, and a spectacular new dining room. The dining room windows also face the summit and look over a nearby pond into which a moose and calf wander on the 1st breakfast of my most recent visit. My two children went crazy, as did the many others kids that were there (adults included in this category). The moose/calf were un-threatening, enjoying their breakfast from the lake greens, and VERY close for all to see. Needless to say, the photographers among us were quite happy as well. Meals in the dining room feature organic gourmet cooking, often with regional items and there is always a vegetarian plate.

My two children consulting with one of the Camp Denali naturalists about "stuff" they found.
Photograph © 2010 Robert Glenn Ketchum
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

Given this lodge's historic status and long relationship with the National Park Service, it can provide for the public like no other facility in the park and that is what makes the experience so rich. NO other lodge, in or out of the park is licensed to offer daily guide service in the designated Wilderness region of the park, the most scenic, wild, pristine and mountainous areas. At CAMP DENALI there are excursions EVERYDAY, led by highly experienced guide/naturalists. These trips are offered at differing levels of exertion so that everyone can participate. Often guests will ride out in a bus to spot animals, do a hike, have lunch along the route, watch more animals, and return late. Did I say, "watch animals!?!" You had better believe it! In my many years of staying at CAMP DENALI I have seen countless Dall's sheep, and caribou; my children and I watched two bull moose battle it out until one backed the other into a nearby pond and nearly drowned it; also with my kids, a moose and calf strolled through camp at twilight to the delight of numerous guests -- in their pajamas -- that followed them around at a safe distance; my photography class came upon a lone white wolf, sunning itself within 50-yards; a black, yellowed-eyed wolf digging for squirrels within 50FEET of the bus (one student using a telephoto got a full-frame shot of JUST the eye); a grizzly bear with two cubs that emerged from the bush onto the road, SO close that those with big lenses could NOT get the shot; and, a truly unique experience at some distance, a pack of wolves attacked a grizzly bear and drove it off, defending their territory. You will NEVER have experiences like this from such a safe position anywhere else in the world, period!

Photograph © 2010 Robert Glenn Ketchum
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

All of this happens because the guide staff is so good. They are great 'people-people', always interacting well with the guests and placing the guests first. Most are naturalists and park historians who always have interesting information to relate, and they connect with both adults and children. In the shot above, my group had taken a lunch break after the morning hike, and to aid digestion we are now "tundra-rolling" -- ­ going head-over-heals down a spongy tundra slope. The silliness of this became so infectious, that with the guides cajoling, even the adults participated ­-- THAT was funny!

Along the Trail at Wonder Lake. Photograph © 2010 Robert Glenn Ketchum
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form.

As a photographer, don't even get me going about the astounding -- albeit very brief -- fall color. The tundra may not be the same as the trees of New England, but the show is easily as good.

Photograph Courtesy of Camp Denali
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

CAMP DENALI has canoes for paddling about on nearby Wonder Lake in full view of the summit and its supportive range, and there are mountain bikes as well. One great trip is to depart on the bus to the National Park's Eielson Visitor Center, offload at the visitor's center, and bicycle back to CAMP DENALI. There is also flight seeing offered from nearby Kantishna Air Taxi (link: www.katiar.com), whose van will pick you up at CAMP DENALI and deliver you back. Owner Greg LaHaie and his crew are knowledgeable pilots who have flown this area SAFELY most of their careers, so even for the flight-timid, this is a "must" recommendation. If you are a photographer, these pilots are also photo-savvy, so this will be an experience unlike anything else you have ever done, and they will help you get THE shot.

The Twin Summits of 'The Great One', Taken From Greg's Plane. Photograph © 2010 Robert Glenn Ketchum
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form.

Lastly, but not least, are the evening programs that are held in the common library. I have spoken there many times during my numerous visits, but there are always multiple presentations during any one stay, and they are all memorable. Most of the presentations are given by staff naturalists, however Camp Denali's 'Special Emphasis Series' also brings in visiting speakers.

Trapline Twins © 2005 Vanessapress, Fairbanks.

My last visit included a presentation from the twin sisters Miki and Julie Collins who live at the remote edge of the park and are known for their authentic subsistence lifestyle. The pictures and presentation were Alaskan humor at its best, and the photograph of them in their relatively small, hand-built cabin, sleeping with their ENTIRE dog team of 15+ huskies would be viral if posted on the net. These evenings are not to be missed.

Photograph Courtesy of Camp Denali
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

For my money and time, CAMP DENALI is one of THE best Alaskans experiences you could ever hope for. Follow the links to learn more, see price packages, and lengths of stay. There are other ways to encounter this park, but CAMP DENALI provides a combination of elements ­ comfort, guidance, learning programs, a point of view, camp camaraderie, and a hot shower/great meal at the end of the day ­ that the others cannot touch. If you only get to Alaska once in your life, and you are willing to "rough-it" just a little (very little) this is the trip!

When you book a trip at CAMP DENALI, be sure to let them know you read about it here on my blog!

~ Robert Glenn Ketchum

#rgk
#lbp

Salmon in the trees by Amy Gulick, December 3, 2010

Salmon in the trees

by Amy Gulick, Fellow, International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP)

December 3, 2010

FOTOfusion 2011 and New Website Launch of Robert Glenn Ketchum

FOTOfusion®2011 Palm Beach Photographic Center January 11-15, 2011 PHOTOGRAPH, "OCTOBER 24 1983 / 2:10 p.m.", 1983 In 2010, American Photo magazine featured Robert Glenn Ketchum in their Masters series making him only the fifth photographer they have recognized this way in 20-years of publishing. Of the five honored, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton and Annie Liebovitz, Ketchum is unique because his imagery is based almost exclusively in the natural world. For 45-years Ketchum's fine prints, and bookmaking, have addressed critical national environmental issues while at the same time helped to define contemporary color photography. His advocate use of photographs and the media has inspired successive generations of artists to work on behalf of social and environmental justice, and led to the creation of the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP), of which Ketchum is a Founding Fellow. It has also resulted in Audubon naming Ketchum one of the 100 people "who shaped the conservation movement of the 20th Century." Ketchum has been a longtime friend of The Palm Beach Photographic Centre, and so it is with great pleasure that the Centre will acknowledge this designation from American Photo magazine by hosting a retrospective exhibit of Ketchum's career, January 2-April 3, 2010. The exhibit is timed to open during , a weeklong celebration of photography that the Centre has been hosting for twenty years. EMBROIDERY, "YK DELTA FROM 1,500", 2003 While an undergraduate at UCLA in the mid-1960's Ketchum studied with Edmund Teske, Robert Heinecken and Robert Fichter, three very groundbreaking, non-traditional image-makers. Their influence clearly defines a whole other aspect to Ketchum's work far more experimental than those images he has produced on behalf of conservation. In the early '80's, Ketchum entered China through the UCLA-China Exchange Program, and began to collaborate with some of the historic embroidery guilds of Suzhou to develop complex textiles based on his photographs. Some of the most recent examples of this embroidery and loom weaving, many of which took years to complete, will be included in this exhibit, as will new designs from the digital darkroom that Ketchum has recently developed for the embroiderers. Ketchum's distinctive, dimensional prints are in numerous collections including the Museum of Modern Art (NY), the National Museum of American Art (DC), the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NY). Significant archives (more than 100 images) have been acquired by the Amon Carter Museum (TX) and the Huntington Library and Gardens (CA), and substantial bodies of work can be found at the High Museum (GA), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Akron Art Museum (OH), Stanford University Art Museum (CA), the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Cornell University (NY), and the National Museum of American Art. PHOTOGRAPHIC PANELS, "CHOOSE JOY", 2007 It is seldom that The Centre has the opportunity to feature a photographer that embraces such a diverse approach to photographic image making. In appreciation of Ketchum's long friendship with PBPC and his well-earned reputation as an inspiring teacher, during FOTOfusion The Centre will present Ketchum with their annual Mentors Award. In turn, Ketchum will honor a relatively unknown photographer with the Rising Star Award. Ketchum has selected Miguel Ángel de la Cueva, a young Fellow from the International League of Conservation Photographers who is doing remarkable work in Mexico and Baja. Ketchum would also like iLCP photographers to become regular attendees and contributors to FOTOfusion, so he is introducing several iLCP Fellows at this year's festival and they will be lecturing, exhibiting, and signing recent books. Get out of the cold of winter. Come to FOTOfusion in West Palm Beach, take in a little sun... and some great photography!

One final bit of news is that my social media team and I have spent the past few months redesigning my website and today it's finally ready to be revealed! A couple of things I like most about my new site are that while it showcases my art nicely, it also coordinates my social media network, and even has video capability!  In addition, my new site now hosts an online store... just in time for the holidays. It would mean the world to me if you'd stop by the new site at some point and check it out:  www.robertglennketchum.com. Sincerely, Robert Glenn Ketchum