Semester at Sea and Brooks Institute Students Remember Photographer Paul Liebhardt

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT)  A beloved Brooks Institute and Semester at Sea photography instructor is being remembered for inspiring students and friends to travel.

Paul Liebhardt worked at NASA before taking a photo of Mohammed Ali with a borrowed camera that ended up in Sports Illustrated.

His students, and friends celebrated his life at the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara.

Jonathan Kingston, Rob Winner, Thann Clark, John Tymitz, Randy Lewis and Dan Patitucci shared their reflections.

They talked about his many trips to Guatemala. Dozens of his slides taken during those trips ended up in Encyclopedia Britannica.

After a service that included some of Liebhardt's best photographs projected on the wall, those in attendance had a chance to choose copies of his books, photos, and humorous holiday postcards to take home.

Liebhardt liked to say " As long as you are traveling toward the unknown, you're on the right track."

"Paul was such an amazing photographer because he connected with people and he did it so well and he was able to connect with people around the world and a lot of people got into photography because they thought they could hide behind the camera and you can't hide behind the camera there is another person on that side and if you want a great picture you need to foster a relationship with them," said photographer Thann Clark," and I think that is something we need to think about our place in the world and how we relate to other people in the world and I think that is Paul's legacy."

Liebhardt spent a decade on Semester at Sea voyages.

He proved taking photos from behind could lead to great images including one of South African bishop and theologian Desmond Tutu holding his wife's purse while on a walk.

He also took photos of hilarious and ironic signs in India and other countries.

Semester at Sea Vice President for Advancement at the Institute for Shipboard Education Heather Wisniewski was touched by the turnout.

"It has been great to see so many semester at sea folks here just celebrating who Paul is and what semester at sea did for him and so  may here just traveling and experience the world especially experiencing the world through the lens of a camera," said Wisniewski.

Friends continued the celebration of life by sharing stories of Liebhardt's classes at Brooks and his travels on Semester at Sea at Shalhoobs in the Funk Zone.

Friends recalled he once showed up to a event where he was honored soaking wet.

He had said he couldn't make it due to being in Hawaii. He said he swam to the ship.

Friends recall his mother being proud of his accomplishments, while his father preferfed his work at NASA.

One day on the job he worked as a Secret Service member while President Kennedy was visiting.

In Santa Barbara and other location he became an avid recycler who claimed to have made $100,000 recycling bottles and cans found in area trashcans.

Students said he wanted prints optically centered.

They also said he didn't just take photographs he dissolved into the scene.

Liebhardt died from complications of a stroke last year.

He was 86 years old.

For more information visit https://semesteratsea.org