About Peter Hergesheimer, Nature Photographer
Peter on Bear Island in the Arctic
Peter Hergesheimer is a San Diego-based nature photographer whose work spans an extraordinary range of subjects—from deep-space astrophotography and underwater imagery to wildlife, landscapes, and global travel. His photographs have earned awards in multiple international competitions. In 2025 he was recognized as Discovery Photographer of the Year by The Monochrome Photography Awards.
Peter’s photographic journey began in his youth, teaching himself black-and-white film photography and darkroom techniques before formal study in high school. His passion for diving naturally led him into underwater photography, first working with film and later transitioning to digital. Today, he works exclusively in the digital medium, capturing and processing both monochrome and color images. In his image creations, he balances artistic expression and realism, focusing solely on what the camera captures, deliberately avoiding image-generation technologies.
With academic degrees in electrical engineering, Peter spent his professional career in wireless product development where his creativity resulted in several patents. Since retiring from engineering, he has devoted himself fully to photography. His journey into the technically challenging deep-space astrophotography genre draws on his engineering background while his artistic interpretations of the cosmos are shaped by years of experience in composition and image-processing techniques developed across other photographic disciplines.
Together with his wife Beth, Peter has traveled to some of the world’s most remote and inspiring regions, including Antarctica, Patagonia, New Zealand, eastern Greenland and Svalbard. These journeys continue to shape his work, providing opportunities to experience and document nature in its most powerful and awe-inspiring forms.
At the heart of Peter’s photography is a deep passion for capturing and sharing the beauty of the natural world. Through his lens, he invites viewers into moments of wonder—encouraging a deeper appreciation of nature, both terrestrial and celestial.
Peter in the badlands of Utah
Peter working in his observatory
AWARDS
2026
2026 Refocus Awards, Color - Nature: Gold, 1 Honorable Mention
2026 Refocus Awards, B&W - Abstract: Silver, 2 Nominated
2026 San Diego County Fair - Night: 1st Place, 6 Honorable Mentions
2026 B&W International Photo Awards - 1 Honorable Mention
2025
2025 Monochrome Awards - Grand Prize-Amateur, Nature: 1st Place, 1 Honorable Mention
2025 Nature Photography Awards - Night World: 1st Place
2025 ND Awards - Special/Night Photography: 1st Place
2025 San Diego County Fair - Night: 1st Place, Water Experience: 1st Place, 1 Honorable Mention
2025 Budapest International Foto Awards - Nature/Astrophotography: Gold
2025 Prix De La Photographie Paris - Nature / Astrophotography: Bronze, 1 Honorable Mention
2025 Tokyo Foto Awards - Nature / Astrophotography: Bronze
2025 IPA/Lucie Awards - 2 Honorable Mentions
2025 Chromatic Photography Awards - Environmental: 2nd Place, Nature: 3rd Place
2025 Monovisions Black and White Photography Awards - 1 Honorable Mention
18th Annual International Color Awards - 2 Honorable Mentions, 2 Nominated
20th Black and White Spider Awards - 3 Nominated
2024
2024 Chromatic Photography Awards - Nature: 1st Place
2024 Monochrome Awards - Nature: 2nd Place
2024 Monovisions Black and White Photography Awards - Series, Nature and Wildlife: 2nd Place, 1 Honorable Mention
Astrobin - Image of the Day 01/03/2024
2024 Astrophotography Prize - Deep Space: Highly Commended
17th Annual International Color Awards - 4 Honorable Mentions, 5 Nominated
2024 IPA/Lucie Awards - 1 Official Selection
19th Black and White Spider Awards -1 Nominated
2023
2023 Chromatic Photography Awards - Nature: 1st Place, 7 Honorable Mentions
2023 IPA/Lucie Awards - 1 Honorable Mention
2019
2019 Glennie Nature Salon - 1st In Category (Bird - Raptors and Eagle)
Exhibitions
2026
City of Encinitas, California - Solo Art Exhibition Underwater Portraits
2026 San Diego County Fair - Group Photography Exhibition, 17 prints
Las Lagunas Gallery, Laguna Beach California - Group Art Exhibition
Decode Gallery, Tucson Arizona - COLOR Group Photography Exhibition
Decode Gallery, Tucson Arizona - LANDSCAPE Group Photography Exhibition
Blank Wall Gallery, Athens Greece - RED Group Photography Exhibition
2025
2025 San Diego County Fair - Group Photography Exhibition, 8 prints
Off Track Gallery, Encinitas California - Group Art Exhibition, 2 prints
Publications
2026
Edge of Humanity Magazine - Photo Essay Patagonia Landscapes: A Journey Through The South
2019
PhotoPXL Article - Narrowband Astrophotography (now on Luminous Landscape website)
2012
Photography in A Guide to the Rockfishes, Thornyheads, and Scorpionfishes of the Northeast Pacific
Presentations
2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025
Mission Vista High School, Vista California - Astronomy and Photography Classes: Narrowband Astrophotography
2019
Mission Vista High School, Vista California - Astronomy and Photography Classes: Narrowband Astrophotography
La Costa Canyon High School, Carlsbad California - Photography Class: Landscape Photography
2018
North County Photographic Society - Narrowband Astrophotography