The evening program here is held “under the stars,” as festival director Jeff Dunas likes to say. And in the crystal clear desert air of Palm Springs, the stars themselves are something to behold. But they couldn’t hold a candle to imagery shown last night around the swimming pool at the Karokia hotel.
Robert Glenn Ketchum led off with a look at his nature photography from Alaska. Actually, it isn’t really correct to call Ketchum’s work nature photography, though he does indeed capture beautiful landscapes and impressive wildlife in his pictures. Ketchum might more properly be called an environmental activist rather than a photographer. In fact, there should be a new phrase coined for what he does. Let’s call him a conservation photographer.
Ketchum’s images have been used to lobby members of congress in the ongoing fight to preserve vital areas of Alaska from development. He played a major role in the effort to save the Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska. More recently he has been documenting a planned copper mine that could result in years of environmental degradation.
Following Ketchum, the fine-art photographer Jock Sturges presented a stirring career overview. Sturges, of course, has been the center of controversy at various times over the past 20 years for his nudes of families, including children. In confronting critics, his best weapon is his body of work itself, which is timelessly beautiful. Best known for his black-and-white photographs, Sturges last night presented a number of color images as well.
Work by four students was also presented at the evening projection. The winners were Dominic Rouse, who creates surrealist constructions; James Whitlow Delano, whose images of Japan included a mysterious photo of a newsstand; John Paul Jespersen, who turns landscapes into abstractions, and Katherine MacDaid, who captured the life of an elderly couple (see photo gallery for images).
Earlier in the day, Eikoh Hosoe led yet another workshop, this one in nearby Joshua Tree National Park. The heat was oppressive, there were cactus all over, and everyone on the trip was warned by park rangers to look out for the four different kinds of rattlesnakes in the area. It was tough going for the photographers — but even harder for the models, who did it without shoes (or clothes).
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