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| © Katherine
MacDaid |
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gallery. |
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). | 
