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Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Amon Carter Museum, "American Photographs, 1845 to Now”

"TWO POSSIBLE CHOICES FOR THE FUTURE” 1984
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2016, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd

I would like to thank Assistant Curator of Photographs, Joy Jeehye Kim, PhD, and the Amon Carter Museum of Fort Worth, TX for including the above image in their current exhibit, "American Photographs, 1845 to Now.” These 6-panels of imagery were created during the two years I spent in the Hudson River Valley working on a commission given to Stephen Shore, William Clift, and myself by the Lila Acheson Wallace Fund. Published as the Aperture monograph, “The Hudson River and the Highlands,” I also republished this work in greater length and detail in this blog: The Hudson River and the Highlands


SOCIAL MEDIA by #LittleBearProd: http://www.LittleBearProd.com
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Amon Carter Museum, "American Photographs, 1845 to Now”

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

The Lowell Thomas Award

photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2016, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
Last year I was given the Lowell Thomas Award as a "Visionary of Conservation" by the Explorers Club of New York. I just attended the 2017 awards “Celebrating the Legacy of Open Spaces” and I was VERY excited to have two old friends as this year’s Lowell Thomas recipients. Above from right to left, Martin von Hildebrand, Laly Lichtenfeld, Rick Ridgeway, and Kristine Tompkins. I have known Rick and Kris for many years through my relationships with Patagonia, North Face, and the remarkable work they have both done IN the environment, AND FOR the environment. Google all four of these amazing people and see what VERY significant contributions they have made to worldwide conservation.

Monday, October 31, 2016

Where It All Began: LIMEKILN CREEK by Robert Glenn Ketchum

Where It All Began:  Limekiln Creek by Robert Glenn Ketchum

In 1967, I discovered Limekiln Creek on the Big Sur Coast in California. Among those redwoods, I had an epiphany as a young artist. As a photographer, most of the skills I would use, I would learn there. Many years later in a mature career, I helped the American Land Conservancy acquire this property for the California State Park system. This is the story of a very personal place.




Monday, October 31, 2016


Where It All Began:  Limekiln Creek, #44
Where It All Began - Limekiln Creek, #44:  This is a preface to this blog and the last post. In discovering AND then returning to Limekiln, I was inspired to change the direction of my work, and to greatly improve the quality of my photography - these decisions affected my life. Simultaneously I also had other important influences. My parents began leasing a house in Sun Valley (ID), from which some of my earliest published images were created ( SEE MY BLOG about the Decker Flats Climbing & Frisbee Club ). Then in transit to Sun Valley for a visit, as with Limekiln, I randomly discovered an amazing place in the desert that became to body of work, STONED IMMACULATE, a new blog that will begin next week in this spot. The above image is Paul Caponigro's "Apple, New York" 1964, or so it was titled when first published in Aperture magazine. At UCLA, a Robert Heinecken assignment had each of us choose a photographer "outside" of "our genre" and prepare a report/lecture with slides for a class presentation. Although I was "leaning" toward an interest in landscape, I still thought it less exciting than my experimental, hand-colored work, and Caponigro's work, which lacked the drama of Ansel Adams, seemed especially "quiet." I chose him because I viewed him boring and thought I would make that my lecture point, BUT the more I studied his images, the more I grew to understand what he saw. Then there was the final image, the endpiece of the publication. When presenting to the class, I said this was a great final image because it suggested he was doing "newer, more experimental work," and Heinecken asked, "How's that?" I responded that most his other images were landscapes, but this one of the night sky seemed more adventurous. Uniformly the class mumbled oddly, and then my friend, Bob Jenkins, spoke up and said, "What are you smoking, man? THAT is an apple." Having NOT read the image title, I missed that detail, but once he said it, I could see it. In fact, I could still see BOTH. This duality of being a "straight" photograph AND ALSO of "another world entirely" would become a subtext of my work for the rest of my life. In telling that story to workshop students once, I did not notice that Caponigro had come into the back of the classroom. After speaking, I took questions, and the last hand up was his. When he rose, I knew him, so I introduced him to the class. Paul said he was glad to hear that story and know the image affected me in that way, AND then he said I should tell Heinecken that "it WAS the night sky." He has since changed the title of this image to "Galaxy Apple."
photograph(s) © copyright, JOHN PAUL CAPONIGRO, 2016, @LittleBearProd, #LittleBearProd, ALC (@american_land), Monterey Pop Festival (@MontereyPopFest)
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Where It All Began: LIMEKILN CREEK by Robert Glenn Ketchum

Where It All Began:  Limekiln Creek by Robert Glenn Ketchum

In 1967, I discovered Limekiln Creek on the Big Sur Coast in California. Among those redwoods, I had an epiphany as a young artist. As a photographer, most of the skills I would use, I would learn there. Many years later in a mature career, I helped the American Land Conservancy acquire this property for the California State Park system. This is the story of a very personal place.




Monday, October 31, 2016

Where It All Began:  Limekiln Creek, #44
Where It All Began - Limekiln Creek, #44:  This is a preface to this blog and the last post. In discovering AND then returning to Limekiln, I was inspired to change the direction of my work, and to greatly improve the quality of my photography - these decisions affected my life. Simultaneously I also had other important influences. My parents began leasing a house in Sun Valley (ID), from which some of my earliest published images were created ( SEE MY BLOG about the Decker Flats Climbing & Frisbee Club ). Then in transit to Sun Valley for a visit, as with Limekiln, I randomly discovered an amazing place in the desert that became to body of work, STONED IMMACULATE, a new blog that will begin next week in this spot. The above image is Paul Caponigro's "Apple, New York" 1964, or so it was titled when first published in Aperture magazine. At UCLA, a Robert Heinecken assignment had each of us choose a photographer "outside" of "our genre" and prepare a report/lecture with slides for a class presentation. Although I was "leaning" toward an interest in landscape, I still thought it less exciting than my experimental, hand-colored work, and Caponigro's work, which lacked the drama of Ansel Adams, seemed especially "quiet." I chose him because I viewed him boring and thought I would make that my lecture point, BUT the more I studied his images, the more I grew to understand what he saw. Then there was the final image, the endpiece of the publication. When presenting to the class, I said this was a great final image because it suggested he was doing "newer, more experimental work," and Heinecken asked, "How's that?" I responded that most his other images were landscapes, but this one of the night sky seemed more adventurous. Uniformly the class mumbled oddly, and then my friend, Bob Jenkins, spoke up and said, "What are you smoking, man? THAT is an apple." Having NOT read the image title, I missed that detail, but once he said it, I could see it. In fact, I could still see BOTH. This duality of being a "straight" photograph AND ALSO of "another world entirely" would become a subtext of my work for the rest of my life. In telling that story to workshop students once, I did not notice that Caponigro had come into the back of the classroom. After speaking, I took questions, and the last hand up was his. When he rose, I knew him, so I introduced him to the class. Paul said he was glad to hear that story and know the image affected me in that way, AND then he said I should tell Heinecken that "it WAS the night sky." He has since changed the title of this image to "Galaxy Apple."
photograph(s) © copyright, JOHN PAUL CAPONIGRO, 2016, @LittleBearProd, #LittleBearProd, ALC (@american_land), Monterey Pop Festival (@MontereyPopFest)
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Where It All Began: LIMEKILN CREEK by Robert Glenn Ketchum

Where It All Began:  Limekiln Creek by Robert Glenn Ketchum

In 1967, I discovered Limekiln Creek on the Big Sur Coast in California. Among those redwoods, I had an epiphany as a young artist. As a photographer, most of the skills I would use, I would learn there. Many years later in a mature career, I helped the American Land Conservancy acquire this property for the California State Park system. This is the story of a very personal place.




Monday, October 31, 2016
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Where It All Began:  Limekiln Creek, #44
Where It All Began - Limekiln Creek, #44:  This is a preface to this blog and the last post. In discovering AND then returning to Limekiln, I was inspired to change the direction of my work, and to greatly improve the quality of my photography - these decisions affected my life. Simultaneously I also had other important influences. My parents began leasing a house in Sun Valley (ID), from which some of my earliest published images were created ( SEE MY BLOG about the Decker Flats Climbing & Frisbee Club ). Then in transit to Sun Valley for a visit, as with Limekiln, I randomly discovered an amazing place in the desert that became to body of work, STONED IMMACULATE, a new blog that will begin next week in this spot. The above image is Paul Caponigro's "Apple, New York" 1964, or so it was titled when first published in Aperture magazine. At UCLA, a Robert Heinecken assignment had each of us choose a photographer "outside" of "our genre" and prepare a report/lecture with slides for a class presentation. Although I was "leaning" toward an interest in landscape, I still thought it less exciting than my experimental, hand-colored work, and Caponigro's work, which lacked the drama of Ansel Adams, seemed especially "quiet." I chose him because I viewed him boring and thought I would make that my lecture point, BUT the more I studied his images, the more I grew to understand what he saw. Then there was the final image, the endpiece of the publication. When presenting to the class, I said this was a great final image because it suggested he was doing "newer, more experimental work," and Heinecken asked, "How's that?" I responded that most his other images were landscapes, but this one of the night sky seemed more adventurous. Uniformly the class mumbled oddly, and then my friend, Bob Jenkins, spoke up and said, "What are you smoking, man? THAT is an apple." Having NOT read the image title, I missed that detail, but once he said it, I could see it. In fact, I could still see BOTH. This duality of being a "straight" photograph AND ALSO of "another world entirely" would become a subtext of my work for the rest of my life. In telling that story to workshop students once, I did not notice that Caponigro had come into the back of the classroom. After speaking, I took questions, and the last hand up was his. When he rose, I knew him, so I introduced him to the class. Paul said he was glad to hear that story and know the image affected me in that way, AND then he said I should tell Heinecken that "it WAS the night sky." He has since changed the title of this image to "Galaxy Apple."
photograph(s) © copyright, JOHN PAUL CAPONIGRO, 2016, @LittleBearProd, #LittleBearProd, ALC (@american_land), Monterey Pop Festival (@MontereyPopFest)
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Wednesday, October 26, 2016

The G2 Gallery Exhibit, "100 Years of National Parks: The West"

If you have not done so, please come to The G2 Gallery in Venice, California and enjoy the exhibit of western national parks in celebration of their 100th Anniversary.

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Earth To Pebble Mine: Stay Away From Bristol Bay. World Conservation Congress Registers Overwhelming International Opposition to Mega-Mine That Threatens Bristol Bay’s Wild Salmon Fishery by Joel Reynolds


Earth To Pebble Mine: Stay Away From Bristol Bay. World Conservation Congress Registers Overwhelming International Opposition to Mega-Mine That Threatens Bristol Bay’s Wild Salmon Fishery

by Joel Reynolds,
Western Director and Senior Attorney, NRDC, Los Angeles

A new chapter opened today in the battle against the proposed Pebble Mine, as the World Conservation Congress overwhelmingly adopted a motion opposing the embattled mega-mine and other large-scale mining in the Bristol Bay region of southwest Alaska and urging the U.S. government to prevent the issuance of permits. With this action, an international body has for the first time formally joined longstanding opposition to the massive copper and gold project — a project that, for years, has been the focus of a relentless, broad-based campaign in Alaska and the lower 48 states to stop it.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Weekly Post: TATSHESHINI: Saving a River Wild

TATSHENSHINI:  Saving a River Wild by Robert Glenn Ketchum


In 1990, I was invited on a 10-day float down the Tatshenshini, a huge river system flowing from Western Canada to the Pacific Ocean that literally divides two of North America's largest national parks, Canada's Kluane National Park and Alaska's Glacier Bay National Park. A gold mine was being proposed mid-river. I broke the story in LIFE magazine. There were many other articles and a book. The mine was never developed and the river is now a wilderness corridor. This is a conservation SUCCESS story!



Tuesday, August 23, 2016

TATSHENSHINI:  Saving a River Wild, #116
TATSHENSHINI - Saving a River Wild, #116:  With boats reloaded and preparing to leave, I stood on the shore of our camp and gazed at the amazing view of Alsek Lake and the surrounding summits one more time. The clouds lifted a little, the sky opened, and sunlight filtered through onto the the glaciers on the other side of the lake. THIS IS WILDERNESS! And this wilderness is one that I helped to create using words and pictures. How fortunate can someone be, to be part of a collective group that helped to create the largest contiguous, legally protected/designated wild lands in the ENTIRE world. My career has been blessed with some unique adventures, and some of them are conservation success stories as well, so although this blog now closes, I hope you will follow others that I post weekly ( http://rbtglennketchum.blogspot.com ), and if you are particularly interested in how I have used my work on behalf of conservation, please follow:, the recently launched, and next week, the debut of THE TONGASS - Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees. Thank for following my tale of the Tatshenshini. I hope you have enjoyed it. (Oh yes, we floated to the airstrip without incident, the planes made their way in through the weather to pick us up, and we were all drunk at the Alaskan Hotel and Bar in Juneau a few hours later - after showering!)
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2016, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd #Tatshenshini @glacierbaynps @Life @Wilderness #WeAreTheWild  @nature_AK
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Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Weekly Post: SHANGHAI, OZ of the Orient by Robert Glenn Ketchum

SHANGHAI, OZ of the Orient by Robert Glenn Ketchum

During the reign of Mao (1949-1976), China was a closed country. China in the 1980’s was 80% rural, with no outside visitors, particularly from the West. When China opened to travelers, the Chinese government placed severe limitations on who was allowed to enter the country. These photographs are a continuation of other ongoing blog threads of the first glimpses into China in the mid-1980’s by world-renowned Conservation Photographer Robert Glenn Ketchum.




Wednesday, August 10, 2016


 SHANGHAI, OZ of the Orient, #129
SHANGHAI, OZ of the Orient #129 - 1985 to the Present:   This is my final post for this blog. I hope you will continue to follow SILK ROAD, however, as that blog is about the creation of the work that brought me to China in the first place. It has now been 4 years since my last visit and I miss the "emerald towers" of OZ; the strange energy of the streets; the amazing diversity of food; the crazy signage - and so much more. I hope those of you that have followed these blogs about China have enjoyed seeing this evolution of 30yrs. through my eyes. It is not typical to the work for which my career has become known, BUT I WAS THERE and in some degree just became a witness with a camera. Watching the stunning transition of this country was a privilege and I would like to thank UCLA for helping me to become the first American artist to enter the China Exchange Program.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2016, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd #China #Shanghai

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Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Cont, NO PEBBLE MINE, 101-200: Pictures from Ground Zero by Robert Glenn Ketchum

Continued... No Pebble Mine #101-200

Tuesday, July 12, 2016 
NO PEBBLE MINE #200, Pictures from Ground Zero:  NO PEBBLE MINE #200, Pictures from Ground Zero: The rocky beach that faces Tikchik Narrows is just below the main lodge and dining hall of Tikchik Narrows Lodge. Here the current picks up as water flows out of Nuyakuk lake into Tikchik lake across a relatively shallow bottom, and in the quiet of dawn and evening, you can see the riffles of fish swimming upstream as they pass by. As tired as guests might be from their daily adventures, those riffles always draw a few eager anglers down to this water's edge during the twilight hours of the day. On this particular morning, weather gave us a broken sky and some low clouds that clung to the hillsides of the opposite shore. Although the sun was not up, it had colored the sky and the reflection turned the glassy water of the Narrows softly pink. Several guests joined me and began to cast into the blue. This morning, fish would NOT BE the prize. 
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2016, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd @NRDC @OrvisFlyFishing #NoPebbleMine #LittleBearProd

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SOCIAL MEDIA by @LittleBearProd: http://www.LittleBearProd.com
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Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Weekly Post: TRACY ARM WILDERNESS - An Alaskan Kayak "Trip" Through Time by Robert Glenn Ketchum

TRACY ARM WILDERNESS - An Alaskan Kayak "Trip" Through Time by Robert Glenn Ketchum

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act (#Wilderness), this new blog focuses on a wilderness area in the #Tongass rainforest of southeast Alaska. This is the tale of a 10-day kayak trip - a testament to WHY wilderness is important, by world-renowned Conservation Photographer Robert Glenn Ketchum.




Tuesday, June 28, 2016

TRACY ARM Wilderness - An Alaskan Kayak "Trip" Through Time, #97
TRACY ARM Wilderness - An Alaskan Kayak "Trip" Through Time, #97: The rain has stopped. The sky is clearing. The tide has come back in, and the birds have gone. A stunningly glassy calm has settled upon the water and wisps of dense fog drift by. Mountains, glaciers, trees, and shoreline disappear and reappear through the passing veil. Occasionally a curious seal pops up wondering what strange things we are, and my mind drifts. Wilderness Forever! Quite soon our pick-up boat will arrive, and tonight in Juneau we will dine on fresh food, take showers, and sleep in beds... but I would just as soon be here. While this is the last image for this blog post, it is certainly NOT my only remarkable kayak adventure. So if you enjoyed this journey, follow my forthcoming blog: "Icy Bay, bowing at the foot of Mount St. Elias," which will be part of several NEW BLOGS we are launching in the following weeks. As this journey into Tracy Arm has been intended as a celebration of the 50th Anniversary of The Wilderness Act, Icy Bay will celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the National Parks as Wrangell-St.Elias is our largest. I hope you enjoyed this "trip," and you will join me for others. Bring your friends.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2016, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd @Wilderness #Wilderness #Tongass

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Monday, May 2, 2016

Weekly Post: THE HUDSON RIVER AND THE HIGHLANDS by Robert Glenn Ketchum

by Robert Glenn Ketchum


This is the story of my first major commission and book, THE HUDSON RIVER AND THE HIGHLANDS (Aperture, 1985). In 1984, #StephenShore, #WilliamClift, and I received a 2-year commission from the Lila Acheson Wallace Fund to photograph the #HudsonRiverValley. This blog tells the tale of the book, with many photos not seen before. Enjoy!




Monday, May 2, 2016


THE HUDSON RIVER AND THE HIGHLANDS #187:
HUDSON RIVER #187:   I thought I would end this blog with this image because most of what you have seen in my posts of the #HudsonRiver have been the "lower" river, a much bigger, broader body of water than these two small streams. However, from small streams, greater rivers grow. The Hudson is born from a small, somewhat swampy pond in the higher elevations of #Mt.Marcy, at 5,344ft, the tallest peak in #NewYorkState. #LakeTearOfTheClouds spawns a rivulet that is debatably acknowledged as the source of the Hudson, but others argue the #OpalescentRiver is the source. Regardless, before you lies their juncture. The Hudson comes in from the left, and the Opalescent from the right. A definitive view point, a beautiful fall day, the ruins of some old stone architecture, and not a #HudsonRiverSchool painter in sight. I hope you have enjoyed this body of my work. Although my Hudson River blog is ending, I am using my blogs as my autobiography, so we are starting a new post which I hope you will follow: THE HIGHER YOU GET, THE HIGHER YOU GET - Sun Valley and the Decker Flat Climbing and Frisbee Club.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2016, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd @Wallacefdn @Aperturefnd @PentaxOnline
SOCIAL MEDIA by #LittleBearProd: http://www.LittleBearProd.com
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Friday, February 19, 2016

Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska, February 2016 Newsletter

Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska

February 15, 2016 Newsletter


Here’s to hoping you and yours enjoyed a wonderful holiday season. Hard to believe another year has passed, but 2016 is here and the work to protect Alaska’s incredible fish and game habitats and resources goes on. In this edition of the SAA news, you’ll find updates on the Tongass National Forest, Bristol Bay / Pebble Mine, and the Transboundary mining threat, as well as some general tidbits and videos about enjoying the wonders of the Great Land. You can always see a comprehensive collection of news items on the Latest News page.

Monday, February 8, 2016

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Happy New Year 2016!



Gung Hay Fat Choy! Happy New Year 2016!


Welcome to the Year of the Red Monkey. How about the serendipity of that considering the color of Donald Trump's hair (LOL)? Who knows where 2016 is going, so this is to wish us all safe journey, BUT I am happy to report I ended 2015 on a high note that has now carried forward into the New Year, so please read on.

photograph _ copyright  Robert Glenn Ketchum 2016
photograph © copyright Robert Glenn Ketchum 2016

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Pebble Mine 2015 in Review: 'The Year of Failing Expensively' by Joel Reynolds

Pebble Mine 2015 in Review:  'The Year of Failing Expensively' by Joel Reynolds

The battle to stop the infamous Pebble Mine isn't over, but if you're a shareholder in the embattled project, 2015 was another disappointing year.
photograph © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2016
In court and in Congress, trying desperately to recharge its reckless scheme for a massive open pit mine in the headwaters of the Bristol Bay wild salmon fishery, The Pebble Partnership ("Pebble") continued throwing good money after bad. In fact, at Pebble headquarters these days, probably the only happy faces belong to the army of Washington, DC lobbyists and lawyers -- including Pebble's DC-based CEO Tom Collier -- who, in 2015, were the most obvious beneficiaries of what little remains of Pebble's cash on hand.

Orvis Supports No Pebble Mine

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