The Peabody Museum sponsored DeHarport to work at Canyon de Chelly National Monument during his PhD candidacy.
In 1955, DeHaport again put his doctoral studies at Harvard on hold to spend several months photographing sites in India's Ajanta Caves on behalf of UNESCO.
In 1962, DeHarport began work as a research associate at the Museum of Northern Arizona, during which time he returned to Canyon de Chelly to document archaeological sites.
In the early 1980s, he began working with fellow photographer, Bill O'Connor, to document all of Canyon de Chelly's rock art in both black-and-white and color.
[2] During the late 1980s, DeHarport's interest also turned toward eastern Colorado, a subject close to the photographer's heart.