Susan Middleton

Middleton was an associate producer of America's Endangered Species: Don’t Say Goodbye, an Emmy-Award-winning documentary made for National Geographic. Middleton’s work has been exhibited in museums worldwide and has been widely published including: National Geographic, New York Times, Audubon, Smithsonian, Discover, Natural History, & Orion.

Middleton has authored several books. Her latest book, Spineless: Portraits of Marine Invertebrates, the Backbone of Life, was published in 2014 to critical acclaim.

The recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship in 2009, Middleton's photographs have been exhibited worldwide in fine art and natural history contexts and are represented in the permanent collections of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Gallery of Art.

In photographing the endangered flora and fauna of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Middleton's work contributed in 2006 to a presidential declaration of the region as a Marine National Monument. She produced the thirty-minute documentary film Archipelago: Portraits of Life in the World’s Most Remote Island Sanctuary, which focused on the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. In February 2007 she gave a presentation at the White House for First Lady Laura Bush, in preparation for her official visit to Midway Atoll, highlighting the designation of the NWHI as a Marine National Monument. She was also invited to accompany Mrs. Bush on her visit to Midway.

In 1994, she travelled to West Africa as a consultant to the Getty Conservation Institute. In the region's tribal capital of Abomey, Benin, she documented the conservation project for the Royal Palace, during which time she also trained local partners culminating in a book and film produced by the Getty. Middleton later continued research in West Africa on the tradition of Vodoun.

In 1985-1986, she worked with Richard Avedon in his New York studio where she coordinated print production for his landmark exhibit, "In The American West. " In New York, Middleton also worked with photographer David Litschwager with whom she subsequently collaborated on several landmark publications focusing her lens exclusively on animals and plants facing extinction. Middleton's book, "Archipelago: Portraits of Life in the World's Most Remote Island Sanctuary, (co-authored with Liittschwager) was instrumental in raising awareness of this area's biological and cultural importance. Her presentations illustrate the critical need to preserve as pristine the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. After hearing her speak at the White House, First Lady Laura Bush invited Middleton to accompany her on the official visit to Midway, where the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument was officially named and announced.

She then settled in San Francisco where she served as Chair of the Department of Photography at the 'California Academy of Sciences [us]' (1982-1995) and where she serves as Research Associate; her photographs remain on exhibit throughout the Academy.

She attended Santa Clara University where she earned a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Sociology with an emphasis in Art (1970).

Susan Middleton is an acclaimed photographer, author, and lecturer specializing in portraiture of rare and endangered animals, plants, sites, and cultures. Born in Seattle, Middleton graduated in 1966 from Shorecrest High School.

Susan Middleton (born 1948) is an American photographer and author based in San Francisco. She is most known for her photographs of rare and endangered animals, plants, and sites. She was Chair of the Department of Photography at the California Academy of Sciences from 1982 to 1995, where she currently serves as Research Associate.