Dick Kettlewell, in my opinion, is the best wildlife photographer in the Black Hills. And his personal obsession is the North American pronghorn, a.k.a. the antelope.

Dick has been following, studying and photographing antelope for years. He knows their behavior, and they know his. Antelope are naturally skittish, but he’s moved among the herds near his Lame Johnny Creek home so often that they allow him pretty amazing access.

And his 600-mm lens doesn’t hurt, either.

Beginning next Sunday, Feb. 28, Dick’s best antelope photography will be on display at the Journey Museum in Rapid City. He’s calling it “In Praise of the Prince; A Visual Tribute to the North American Pronghorn.”

There’s an opening reception on Feb. 28 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. If you want to meet Dick and talk to him about his work, this would be a good time to do it. He loves to talk about antelope.

“It’s quite a unique creature,” Dick said. During the last Ice Age, a number of species, including the saber-toothed tiger and the woolly mammoth, died off. But the pronghorn survived. “No creature is more suited to or specifically adapted to this ecosystem than the pronghorn.”

Dick’s show will include 62 photos, including a few very large pieces, arranged in the Stanford Adtelstein Community Gallery. The show runs until May 25.

In addition, there will be a series of “Storytelling Sessions” created around “In Praise of the Prince.”

March 7: Dick and fellow photograph Les Voorhis will talk about “capturing the image” in wildlife photography.

March 14: Photographers Steve Babbitt and Dan Tackett will discuss the American Western Landscape.

March 28: Well-known writers Linda Hasselstrom and Dan O’Brien will discuss their work describing the American high plains.

April 11: Photographer Neal Larson will present his work on the “American Serengeti,” a study of the high plains of the western United States.