Killer whales in Southeast Alaska’s Frederick Sound. (Photo by Richard Hebhardt)

Killer whales in Southeast Alaska’s Frederick Sound. (Photo by Richard Hebhardt)

Juneau man’s passion for African and Alaskan wildlife photos takes him to wild places

On a recent trip to Kenya, Richard Hebhardt sat in a safari vehicle, partially hidden behind a tree in which hung a dead impala. He peered through his camera lens as the female leopard who had stashed the animal earlier that day paced closer, her son hanging back behind her.

“My heart just pounds,” he said of being close to the cats. “Her sensibilities, I’m sure, were ratcheted up considerably. We were there, and there was other animal life, plus the dead impala in the tree… she was just a gorgeous animal.”

As a nature photographer with a passion for photographing African wildlife, big cats like lions, cheetahs and leopards in particular, those are moments he treasures.

His nature photographs have “a bent toward conservation photography,” he said, adding “the last several years I’ve been particularly interested in the peril that many species — some select species in Africa — are unfortunately suffering due to habitat loss.”

Though Hebhardt has always had a passion for photography — his father, an avid amateur photographer, gave him his first camera when he was a kid — it’s in the last 10 years, after he retired from a career in education, that he’s been able to pursue it full time. He first came to Alaska in 1975 as a teacher in Ivanof Bay, finishing his career with a six-year stint as superintendent of the Bristol Bay School District. Now, he and his wife Sheryl live in Juneau.

“Being here in Alaska just gave added energy to that interest (of photographing nature),” he said. “We live in a very unique place on the planet. The natural beauty just knocks your socks off. As many years as I’ve been here, it still takes my breath away…. The opportunities to photograph wildlife here in Alaska at times seem endless.”

Hebhardt this year for the second time was selected to have one of his photos exhibited in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. as one of the winners of Nature’s Best Photography magazine’s Windland Smith Rice International Award.

His first winning photo, selected in 2014, was of sea lions in Glacier Bay, one of his favorite places to shoot. He and a friend who lives there have traveled there at least once a year for most of the last eight, he said.

“We visit all the nooks and crannies of the bays, both in the east and the west arm,” he said. “We’ve seen some extraordinary sights.”

The second photograph, taken in 2015 and selected for the award in 2017, was taken in Botswana’s Kalahari Desert.

“The word ‘iconic’ is often used in connection with images of African wildlife, or a landscape, but that (word) just struck me almost immediately. The sun was setting, and the sky was darkening, and that orb was almost a centerpiece,” he said. “I realized as the elephant was drinking, and the zebras were approaching, that it was really a captivating moment. The memory of that experience will probably last me a lifetime.”

Photographing in Africa offers particular challenges, he said. In particular, it’s difficult to take good photos after late morning and before evening, since the midday light is so bright and casts dark shadows. That’s in addition to the challenge of getting close enough to the animals to get a good photo. When he travels to Africa for images — trips that can last a month — he starts his day around 5:30 a.m. and finishes it at 7 or 7:30 p.m., he said.

Another image that stands out to him is on Kenya’s Maasai Mara plain, of the sun setting through the only acacia tree for miles.

“It seemed to me like an extraordinary gift was put right in my lap,” he said.

Among other places, he’s photographed in Uganda, Kenya, Botswana, and Zimbabwe, and has plans to go to Namibia, and to Zambia’s Luangwa Valley.

He also takes photos in Hawaii — on the big island and Kauai in particular — where he travels with his wife each year, among other places.

He’s mostly a self-taught photographer, he said.

“Just to make it to that level, I found pretty extraordinary,” he said of his recent awards. “I’m just very, very pleased, and feel very fortunate to be able to capture (those moments).”

Hebhardt has also had work displayed in the Alaska State Museum as part of the Alaska Positive exhibit, and at the Oakland Museum of California.

Though his photos are available for purchase and he’s winning awards, the motivation to photograph wildlife and wild places has always been personal, he said.

“When I revisit (an image),” he said, “it’s easy to feel the heart or the soul stirring again.”

To see Hebhardt’s second award-winning Nature’s Best photo, see the Oct. 10 Capital City Weekly or go here: http://www.capitalcityweekly.com/stories/101117/ae_1276792571.shtml

To see his first, go here: http://juneauempire.com/outdoors/2014-12-12/theres-something-about-juneau

Hebhardt also has many of his photos and more information up on his website, available here: http://richardhebhardtphotography.com/


• Mary Catharine Martin is the Capital City Weekly’s managing editor.


A female leopard pursues her prey in Kenya. (Photo by Richard Hebhardt)

A female leopard pursues her prey in Kenya. (Photo by Richard Hebhardt)

Juneau photographer Richard Hebhardt. (Photo by Mary Catharine Martin)

Juneau photographer Richard Hebhardt. (Photo by Mary Catharine Martin)

A lioness and yearling in Kenya’s Maasai Mara. (Photo by Richard Hebhardt)

A lioness and yearling in Kenya’s Maasai Mara. (Photo by Richard Hebhardt)

Juneau man’s passion for African and Alaskan wildlife photos takes him to wild places

A lioness and yearling in Kenya’s Maasai Mara. (Photo by Richard Hebhardt)

Under Hanalei Bay Pier in Kauai, Hawaii. (Photo by Richard Hebhardt)

Under Hanalei Bay Pier in Kauai, Hawaii. (Photo by Richard Hebhardt)

A lava plume and the Milky Way as seen in Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii. (Photo by Richard Hebhardt)

A lava plume and the Milky Way as seen in Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii. (Photo by Richard Hebhardt)

Juneau man’s passion for African and Alaskan wildlife photos takes him to wild places

A lava plume and the Milky Way as seen in Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii. (Photo by Richard Hebhardt)

A lion in tall grass in Botswana. (Photo by Richard Hebhardt)

A lion in tall grass in Botswana. (Photo by Richard Hebhardt)

Juneau man’s passion for African and Alaskan wildlife photos takes him to wild places

A lion in tall grass in Botswana. (Photo by Richard Hebhardt)

Juneau man’s passion for African and Alaskan wildlife photos takes him to wild places

A lion in tall grass in Botswana. (Photo by Richard Hebhardt)

The last light as seen through the lone acacia tree for miles on Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve. (Photo by Richard Hebhardt)

The last light as seen through the lone acacia tree for miles on Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve. (Photo by Richard Hebhardt)

More in Neighbors

A sooty grouse alertly watches some approaching humans. (Photo by Pam Bergeson)
On the Trails: From Switzer Creek to Mount Roberts

A September morning stroll with a friend on the Switzer Creek Trail… Continue reading

This resting dog’s nose is at work all the time and is more than 1,000 times more sensitive than yours. (Photo of a tired-out Cora by Ned Rozell)
Alaska Science Forum: The world according to a dog’s nose

A dog can tell you a lot about the outdoors. When a… Continue reading

An Earth Day message posted on Facebook this spring by the University of Alaska Southeast refers to environmental stewardship and climate change activities, including these kayaks used for an oceanography course during the summer of 2019. (Courtesy of the University of Alaska Southeast)
Sustainable Alaska: Connecting to nature is vital to sustainable well-being and behavior

I have spent my career studying the aesthetic experience in an art-viewing… Continue reading

Laura Rorem
Living and Growing: ‘UBUNTU: I am because we are’

Ironic. As I received the 1998 Parent of the Year Award for… Continue reading

A crow is blinded in one eye with an infection of avian pox. (Photo by Kerry Howard)
On the Trails: Avian flu ailments

Among the many diseases that afflict wild birds, there is avian flu,… Continue reading

A change in season is marked by tree leaves turning color at Evergreen Cemetery in late September of 2019. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
Gimme a Smile: P.S. Autumn is here.

Ready or not, here it comes. The days are getting shorter, new… Continue reading

A double rainbow appears in Juneau last Friday. (Photo by Ally Karpel)
Living and Growing: Embracing Tohu V’vohu — Creation Amidst Chaos

Over the course of the past year, during which I have served… Continue reading

Birch and aspen glow orange in September in the Chena River State Recreation Area east of Fairbanks. (Photo by Ned Rozell)
Alaska Science Forum: The varying colors of fall equinox

We are at fall equinox, a day of great equality: All the… Continue reading

A male pink salmon attacks another male with a full-body bite, driving the victim to the bottom of the stream.(Photo by Bob Armstrong)
On the Trails: Eagle Beach strawberries and salmon

A walk at Eagle Beach Rec Area often yields something to think… Continue reading

Adam Bauer of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Bahá’ís of Juneau.
Living and Growing: Rúhíyyih Khánum, Hand of the Cause of God

Living in Juneau I would like to take a moment to acknowledge… Continue reading

A calm porcupine eating lunch and not displaying its quills. (Photo by Jos Bakker)
On the Trails: Prickly critters here and afar

Prickles, thorns, and spines of some sort are a common type of… Continue reading

The Rev. Karen Perkins.
Living and Growing: Coping with anger, shock and despair after a loss

The last several Living and Growing columns have included reflections about death,… Continue reading