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Sunday, December 19, 2010

Last Minute Eco-Friendly Gift Ideas!

Are you still searching for the perfect gift? Why battle the crowds when you can find the ideal eco-friendly gifts online at my store. Here are some great ideas:

HARDCOVER, 'PAMELA BURTON LANDSCAPES' BY PAMELA BURTON - Pamela Burton Landscapes presents nineteen of her built works for public and private clients, with sites ranging from beach to desert and from farm to city block.

PAPERBACK, 'ART EDUCATION AND ECO AWARENESS: A TEACHER'S GUIDE TO ART & THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT' BY HEATHER ANDERSON - Use the power of art to inspire youth to appreciate, understand, and protect their environment.

HARDCOVER, 'SALMON IN THE TREES: LIFE IN ALASKA'S TONGASS RAIN FOREST' BY AMY GULICK - A 2010 Independent Publisher Book Award winner, Salmon in the Trees tells the story of the Tongass, a 17 million-acre temperate rain forest fringing the coastal panhandle of Alaska and covering thousands of islands in the Alexander Archipelago.

JIN JIANG JOY SILK SCARF, (22" x 72") - “Launch,” the high-quality 22" x 72" lustrous silk scarf shown here has been produced in a signed, limited edition of 200.

LATCHKEY NECKLACE - An antique vintage skeleton key finds new use with Turquoise cylinders paired with semi-precious Carnelian in this limited-edition necklace.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

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



#rgk
#lbp






Thursday, December 9, 2010

Camp Denali - My Fav Places


"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

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Wearable Art... The Perfect Christmas present / Hanukkah gift!

Looking for a unique Christmas present / Hanukkah gift / or New Year's fashion statement? How about wearable art?  CLICK HERE to Visit Robert Glenn Ketchum's ONLINE STORE

Scarf by Jin Jiang Joy: CLICK HERE to Visit Robert Glenn Ketchum's ONLINE STORE

Help my new bolt fabric design company, Jin Jiang Joy, spread holiday joy to someone that you love. JJJoy is designing fabric imagery based solely in nature and derived only from photographs. The first fashionable accessory to show off my designs is a 16-color printed, lustrous silk scarf of Hermes-quality that measures 22" x 72". Only 200 were printed, and they are signed.
Scarf Detail by Jin Jiang Joy: CLICK HERE to Visit Robert Glenn Ketchum's ONLINE STORE

As a seasonal perk, we will ship for free. If you love color, this is radiant luxury (and warmth).


Scarf by Jin Jiang Joy: CLICK HERE to Visit Robert Glenn Ketchum's ONLINE STORE



CLICK HERE to Visit Robert Glenn Ketchum's ONLINE STORE

~ Robert Glenn Ketchum

#rgk

#lbp

Friday, December 3, 2010

NEW PUBLICATION: Art Education and Eco Awareness: A Teacher’s Guide to Art & the Natural Environment

"The Chainsaws of Summer", 1992.  Photograph © 2010 Robert Glenn Ketchum.
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form.
A new educational textbook on art education & eco-awareness is out, and it features one of my photographs, 'The Chainsaws of Summer", pictured above.  It's good to see that future generations are being taught important things!  #rgk



Art Education and Eco Awareness: A Teacher’s Guide to Art & the Natural Environment

By Heather Anderson

Use the power of art to inspire students to appreciate, understand, and protect their environment.


Organized around five fundamental environmental elements—land, water, sky, plants, and wildlife—this book uses inspiring fine art and plentiful hands-on art experiences to motivate students to look closely, think carefully, and find out more about the world around them. 144 pages, 120 color images

Inside you’ll find:
  • 25 hands-on art lessons for elementary and secondary students
  • Profiles of ground-breaking environmental artists, including examples of their works, statements of their philosophies, and links to their websites and writings
  • Over 30 full-color works of fine art with environmental themes
  • Over 100 full-color works by elementary, middle, and high school students in a variety of media
  • Hundreds of eco awareness activities that help hone artistic, research, and critical thinking skills
  • A bibliography of classic and contemporary works on environmental issues and artists’ lives
  • Up-to-date information, including Web resources, on a wide variety of art and environmental organizations
  • A combined glossary of art and environmental terms
Table of Contents:
Introduction
The Program
Aims
Structure
Teaching the Program

Part 1: Lesson Plans

Land
Art, Land, and Activism
Featured Artist: Jody Pinto
Magnificent Mountains
Vital Valleys
Discovering the Desert
Along the Coast
Alaskan Wilderness

Water
Art, Water, and Activism
Featured Artist: Cheri Gaulke
Flowing with Rivers
Celebrating the Sea
Wetland Wilderness
Cascading Waterfalls
Languid Lakes

Sky
Art, Sky, and Activism
Featured Artist: Andy Lipkis
Clusters of Clouds
Rain and Storm
Fog, Smog, and Mist
Sunrise and Sunset
Nebulous Night

Plants
Art, Plants, and Activism
Featured Artists: Robert Glen Ketchum and Karen Stahlecker
Terrific Trees
Great Grasses
Flaming Flowers
Glorious Gardens
Desert Flowers

Wildlife
Art, Wildlife, and Activism
Featured Artist: Lynne Hull
Magnificent Mammals
A World of Birds
Recognizing Reptiles and Amphibians
Insects and Spiders
Sea Creatures

Part 2: Resources
Bibliography
Organizations
Glossary
Index of Artists and Artworks

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Isostatic Rebound: Earthquake & Volcano Activity

Merapi Volcano Eruption.  Photograph Courtesy AFP.

For some time now I have tracked earthquake and volcano activity in this Climate Change portion of my blog. I do this because NASA data suggests that both Greenland and Antarctica are "moving" (known as isostatic rebound) as the ice weight melts off of them, and if it is true that one of the largest islands in the world, and THE largest continent start to flex, they will shift tectonic plates worldwide setting off earthquakes and increasing volcanic activity. Clearly, this has just been personal speculation on my part, and part of the beauty of being able to blog.

Now it seems the science community may be taking more notice of this possibility. I await their conclusions, but I am buying earthquake preparedness kits for my whole family now and not expecting the empirical evidence any time soon.

This summer when I was teaching in Jackson Hole, WY, we were rocked by a large swarm of quakes of small quakes (40 or more/4.0 magnitude) at a time when no local I spoke with can ever remember experiencing a quake. On September 26, Nebraska was rattled by a small 3.0+ in an area earthquake activity is considered extremely rare.

Unfortunately, these may just be "awakening" signs. In the winter of 1811-1812, The New Madrid fault zone in SE Missouri produced three of the strongest earthquakes to ever strike the continental U.S. And, more ominously, scientists have discussed for years the danger of the Yellowstone Basin "waking up" because Yellowstone IS an ancient volcano, and a prehistoric Yellowstone produced the largest and most cataclysmic volcanic eruption in the evolution of North America.
If a changing climate triggers these kinds of activities and events, I would like us all to consider the concept of keeping the climate as stable as possible, as soon as possible, please! I don't give a damn about whose fault these changes are, we need to address these changes.
The philosopher, Thomas Huxley, said, "Human existence is a race between intelligence and extinction".
Darwin's theory has also been misstated. He actually said that it is not the smartest, nor the fittest, but those that will adapt the most quickly that will survive.
The race is on. I hope those in the human population that don't think it is, wake up and start running. We need everybody thinking about this, and for human creativity to rise to the occasion and address these changes in our environment or humanity will no longer be a relevant species.
~ Robert Glenn Ketchum
#rgk
#lbp
Midway Geyser Basin and the Grand Prismatic Spring, a hot spring located in Yellowstone National Park. Photo credit: Mila Zinkova

Thursday, November 4, 2010

FotoWeek DC 2010: NightGallery, November 6-13

"MORPHIC FORMS #2, WOOD-TIKCHIK", 2001.  Photograph © 2010 Robert Glenn Ketchum.  For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form.

If you're in the Washington, D.C. area November 6-13, 2010, be sure to take-in the "FotoWeek DC 2010 Festival".  Myself and several of my Fellows of the International League of Conservation Photgraphers (iLCP) will be showcased in the NightGallery.  Our select group includes myself, Robert Glenn Ketchum, Daniel Beltrá, Amy Gulick, Thomas P. Peschak, Cristina Goettsch Mittermeier, Paul Nicklen, Thomas D. Mangelsen, Garth Lenz, and Brian SkerryClick on their names to view their websites, and see below for photos from the NightGallery.

NightGallery welcomes a world-renowned team of curators: James Wellford, the senior photo editor at Newsweek magazine, will curate the special documentary program entitled 'Projections of Reality'; Andy Adams, editor of flakphoto, and curator Larissa Leclair will shape the fine art projections entitled '100 Portraits / 100 Photographers'; and Cristina Mittermeier, founder and president of the International League of Conservation Photographers will curate 'Life Lives Here.' *

* * * * * * *

ABOUT NIGHTGALLERY:

To reach the greatest range of viewers, the curated photographs will rotate through various projection locations. Viewers can obtain a program guide to the themes, times, and sites for each projection series.

NightGallery projections can be enjoyed at many locations throughout Washington, including the exteriors of the Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art + Design, Newseum, Holocaust Museum, American Red Cross, National Museum of the American Indian, Human Rights Campaign Dupont Circle, House of Sweden, and the FotoWeek DC Satellite on 3333 M Street

* * * * * * *

ABOUT FOTOWEEK DC:

Over the past three years, FotoWeek DC has skyrocketed as one of the world’s premier photography festivals. Tens of thousands of fans have come to expect the unexpected: colossal photo projections on the walls of the city’s famed architecture..., all-night photo experiences..., evocative exhibitions of award-winning images..., lectures and workshops by internationally renowned photographers.

Innovation. Creativity. Expansion. Transformation!  That’s the power of photography.  That’s the point of FotoWeek DC.  And it’s Everywhere You See.

* * * * * * *

* LIFE LIVES HERE, curated by Cristina Mittermeier

Statement:
"Life Lives Here... and nowhere else in the universe. These projections by Fellows of the International League of Conservation Photographers will shine a light on some of our planet's most beautiful and precious natural resources... and the threats facing them. We hope they will help connect-the-dots between cause and consequence on all our environmental decisions, and lead us to understand how every action has an effect on our planet, and all life on it."
~Cristina Mittermeier
Robert Glenn Ketchum:  "No Pebble Mine:  Wild Salmon of Bristol Bay Forever":
Photograph © 2010 Robert Glenn Ketchum.  For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form.
Daniel Beltrá:  "Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill":
Photograph © 2010 Daniel Beltrá for Greenpeace.  For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form.
Amy Gulick:  "Salmon in the Trees:  Life in Alaska's Tongass Rain Forest":
Photograph © 2010 Amy Gulick.  For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form.
 Thomas P. Peschak:  "Sharks:  Apex Predator, Human Prey":
Photograph © 2010 Thomas P. Peschak.  For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form.
CLICK HERE to See More Photos and Learn About the Save Our Seas Foundation
Cristina Goettsch Mittermeier:  "Kayapo:  Amazon River People on the Edge":
Photograph © 2010 Cristina Goettsch Mittermeier.  For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form.
Paul Nicklen:  "Bipolar Disorder:  Why Ice Matters":
Photograph © 2010 Paul Nicklen / National Geographic.  For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form.  CLICK HERE to See More of Paul Nicklen's Polar Obsession Photos in this NPR Feature
Thomas D. Mangelsen:  "American West:  A Disappearing Landscape":
"Song Dogs".  Photograph © 2010 Thomas D. Mangelsen.  For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form
Garth Lenz:  "The Alberta Tar Sands:  A New Addiction to the Most Toxic Oil":
Photograph © 2010 Garth Lenz.  For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form.
 Brian Skerry:  "3 Degrees of Japan's Seas":
Photograph © 2010 Brian Skerry.  For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form.   
Yello Goby living inside a discarded soda can in Suruga Bay, Japan.
CLICK HERE to See More of Brian Skerry's Photos in this Month's National Geographic Magazine, November 2010

 

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

FOTOfusion 2011 and New Website Launch

FOTOfusion®2011
Palm Beach Photographic Center
January 11-15, 2011

PHOTOGRAPH, OCTOBER 24 1983 / 2:10 p.m.
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.
YK DELTA FROM 1,500, 2003
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.
Photograph Panels 'Choose Joy' 2007
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,

signature
Robert Glenn Ketchum

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Think before you vote.

"John Hopkins Inlet, Glacier Bay", From the book: "The Tongass: Alaska's Vanishing Rain Forest". Photograph © 2010 Robert Glenn Ketchum. For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form.
Before you vote, you might consider what my Chinese friends think of this election. As most of you know, I have been creating textiles in China since the early 1980's. This long working relationship with these Suzhou guild artists has also become an unusual friendship that is remarkably frank and honest considering the difference in our cultures. It may be worth noting what they perceive about this forthcoming election.

Basically there are two points: the lesser point is that the Chinese are amazed that so many people that know nothing about how the government is run have succeeded in getting on the ballot. This amazes them, but in its own weird way, it is proof to them of how democracy works. As they see it, our democracy has succeeded and failed simultaneously. Because it has succeeded, our country is now perfectly divided down the middle (a perfect democracy/the promise of the dao) and now nothing will ever be accomplished because of that division.

Point two is that the rise of the Tea Party is seen as a GREAT boon to the Chinese who predict that once the Tea Party candidates and similarly sympathetic Republicans are elected, they will throw our government systems into complete chaos, choking off any hope we may have for an economic recovery and retarding our industrial output, ALL TO THEIR ADVANTAGE. As one of my friends pointed out, after the election the "new" politicians will try to stifle global warming investments, so this leaves China with NO manufacturing competition in this market and lets them take TOTAL control of much of the future market technology directed at climate change. As our political body continues to deny climate change, events related to climate change will continue to get worse. When we finally wake up, it will be to late to invent anything, so we will just buy it from the Chinese.

It was pointed out to me that this will be a HUGE change in the world market. My friends feel the US has always led the world with its inventions. China may have manufactured for us, but the US invented most of the necessary products. Now they see themselves as inventing AND manufacturing the products, cutting us entirely out of the production market and reducing us to being dependent on technology they bring to us.

Think before you vote. The outcome may change life as we know it in the US.

~Robert Glenn Ketchum



* * * * * * *

I find it curious sometimes how some things dove-tail. A new ad was just brought to my attention that depicts a less-than-subtle approach to America's growing debt obligation to China.

The ad is produced by the conservative group, 'Citizens Against Government Waste', and it has attracted much attention already. In fact, Wang Baodong, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said that it's "unreasonable" to blame America's economic woes on China and "despicable" to incite anti-China sentiment.

Watch the video here:


And just in case the video is pulled from online, for whatever reasons, here is the synopsis:

The ad called "Chinese Professor," is set in "Beijing, China 2030 AD." It shows a lecture hall with a professor speaking in Chinese. The students carry futuristic tablets that make the iPad look clunky. The ad contains subtitles and starts with the professor asking, in Chinese, "Why do great nations fail? The Ancient Greeks...the Roman Empire...the British Empire...and the United States of America." Students gaze up at a holographic screen that shows images of the four superpowers. "They all make the same mistakes, turning their back on the principles that made them great," continues the professor. He goes on to say that America tried to "tax and spend" its way out of a recession, including a health-care overhaul -- all of which led to massive debt. "Of course, we owned most of their debt," he says with a laugh, "so now they work for us." Cue audience laughter.

THINK BEFORE YOU VOTE!

#rgk

Thursday, October 28, 2010

'Extreme Exposure' at The Annenberg Space for Photography, October 23 - April 17


For those of you that are fans of photography here in LA and all you see is the tepid post-modernism put up by the museums, come check out this show at The Annenberg Space for Photography'Extreme Exposure', is a group exhibit that celebrates five photographers who thrive in environments that few dare to explore braving dangerous conditions in order to capture rarely seen moments in the life of our planet.

Clyde Butcher does the Everglades with a 16x20 camera and some of the most amazing prints ever.



Paul Nicklen and Michael "Nick" Nichols are friends and Fellows of iLCP who shoot some of NatGeo's most significant stories, and the O'Meara's love all things volcanic. 


Because it is animals and landscapes the museums claim it is not art. Make up your own mind, these guys are all doing something like no one else,...and making a difference with their work!!! 

Thank you to the Annenberg. It is a GREAT space.

Friday, October 15, 2010

ASPP West Coast Silent Auction


I am donating the above image to support the  work the National Wildlife Federation is doing in the Gulf.

For 45-years Robert Glenn Ketchum's imagery and books have helped define contemporary color photography while also addressing critical national environmental issues. His advocate use of photography has inspired successive generations of image-makers to be purposeful with their work on behalf of social and environmental justice, earning his frequent comparison to Ansel Adams and Eliot Porter.

We are just under one week away - Get your tickets today at http://bit.ly/am9mhG
We have already received a proxy bid for one of the auction prints.
Please call 310-213-4352 if you are interested in starting the bidding on any of the images.

Orvis Supports No Pebble Mine

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