About Susan
Susan J. Preston is a bird and nature photographer whose work intersects the realms of visual art, mindfulness practice, and the human need for experiences of beauty to survive and flourish. Through her photography and writing, Susan delves deep into the heartfelt experiences of awe and wonder that nature instills in us, while also staying present to the suffering of the more-than-human world with open eyes. Her work serves as a powerful testament to the interconnection and fragility of all life on Earth, urging us to appreciate, reflect, and act on behalf of our planet, which is to act with great compassion toward ourselves.
Susan J. Preston is a bird and nature photographer whose work intersects the realms of visual art, mindfulness, and the emergent beauty of Mother Earth. She is the author and designer of the internationally awarded fine art book BOSQUE, Winter Wings, an offering of praise for the tens of thousands of migratory birds who winter over in Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. Susan’s photography and writing focuses on the gifts of offering our attention to the extraordinary beauty of the living world and how experiences of wonder in nature can serve as a source of renewal in the midst of compounding grief and moral injury.
WORK in PROGRESS
Susan’s current work (2024- present) focus on the Rio Grande–the ribbon of life that has served as an ancient migratory route, providing safe habitat to the Sandhill Crane for countless generations. Once a mile-wide and now critically endangered, the river continues to provide sustenance and protection to the cranes on their long journey south for the winter, and the return trip home for nesting season.
Over the last three years, Susan has stepped into the cracking and evaporating spine of Sister River, bearing witness to the vacancies and haunting beauty found amid a magical spectrum of desert colors, cracks of revelation, and peeling surfaces. Rivers represent memory and the wisdom passed down from ancestors. When we bring the gateway of our senses close-in to the long exhales of the living world, memory, presence, and glimmers of the prophetic break through.
Beautiful people who continue to influence her work include the wise writings of indigenous writer Robin Wall Kimmerer and eco-philosophers Joanna Macy, Sophie Strand and David Abram. Artistic influences include photographers Dorthea Lange, Cristina Mittermeir, and painter Bob Ross. She is an active member of Kinship Photography Collective, Ruth Davies’ Look Again Mindful Photography Community, Upaya Zen Center, and is a student in a permaculture community in the South Valley of Albuquerque.
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Currently, Susan is offering in-person and online Mindful Photography and Earth Altars workshops in addition to book talks that focus on Presence and Wonder in Nature, and creative ritual.
She is a certified trauma-informed Grief Coach and Mindful Photography guide– available for group and 1:1 workshops as well as Earth Altar Mandala Ceremonies.
CV
BOOK
BOSQUE, Winter Wings. Susan J. Preston, December 2023
AWARDS
2025 – Enchanting New Mexico 2026: 24th Annual New Mexico Magazine Photography Awards – Bridge of Belonging (photographed in Bosque del Apache NWR)
2024 – Silver Budapest Foto Award (bifa) – BOSQUE
2024 – Silver Prix De La Photographie Paris (PX3) – BOSQUE
2024 – Silver Nautilus Book Award (Photography & Arts) – BOSQUE
2024 – Award of Excellence, Communication Arts Photography Annual
(Book/Series) – BOSQUE
2024 – IPA OneShot, Official Selection, “Searching for Peace” – Bridge of Belonging
2024 – Silver IP Medal (Independent Publishers Book Award) – BOSQUE
2024 – Six Honorable Mentions in the 22nd Julia Margaret Cameron Award for Women Photographers, including two ‘Wildlife’ series drawn from Susan’s book, BOSQUE, Winter Wings. Single image honors in ‘Wildlife’, ‘Fine Art’, and ‘Abstract’ categories.
2023 – 1st Place, International Photo Awards (IPA), Nature Book (non-professional) for BOSQUE
2022 – Gold in the Tokyo International Foto Awards (tifa), Nature Book (amateur) for BOSQUE
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025, July-September, Photography Book Group Exhibition
Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester, Massachusetts
2025, April, Julia Margaret Cameron Awards Group Exhibition
Barcelona, Spain
2024, December, Julia Margaret Cameron Awards Group Exhibition
Barcelona, Spain
2024 “40 over 40,” Juried by Elizabeth Avedon, Online exhibition South X Southeast Photo Gallery Molena, GA
EDUCATION
BFA, Cum Laude, 1987
Communication Arts & Design
Virginia Commonwealth University
Certificate in Interactive New Media, 1996
The George Washington University
COACHING & TEACHER CERTIFICATIONS
Trauma-informed Mindfulness & Grief Coach
Heather Strang, MA, C-IAYT, 2026
Mindful Photography Guide
LookAgain with Ruth Davies, 2024, 2025
Earth Altars Teacher and Guide
Morning Altars with Day Schildkret, 2025
Presentations & Workshops
PRESENCE & WONDER in NATURE – Author Presentation
Description to come soon!
THE GENTLE GAZE PHOTO WORKSHOP
Have you ever “woken up” in the middle of a bird photography outing only to realize your internal dialogue is louder than the symphony of birdsong around you? Between the pressure to capture competition-worthy images and the uncontrollable movements of our feathered friends, bird photography can feel more stressful than soothing. With all the gear and technical settings, and the unique challenges of fast-paced bird photography, is a mindful approach even… possible?
During our Gentle Gaze photography excursions, your guide, Susan J. Preston (often in partnership with mindful birding facilitator, Dr. Holly Thomas) will create a supportive, non-judgmental environment with a focus on embodied presence and wonder as antidotes to fear and perfectionism. Please join us for a chance to explore the gifts of paying attention with a reverent and creative approach to bird photography that can be applied to any area of your life!
Please note that this is not a technical workshop, so be sure to bring a camera that you are familiar with to prevent equipment-related distractions during our time together. We encourage both advanced and amateurs to join us. All that is really required is an open heart. If you have any questions please be in touch with Susan on Instagram: @susanprestonstudio or here.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Stay tuned as Susan moves her studio to Santa Fe from Albuquerque.
PAST EVENTS
October 25 | Earth Altars Ceremony & Sit-Down Feast
Private event on a permaculture farm in Albuquerque
Creativity, Ritual, Myth & Ceremony based on the Morning Altars modality
For the Event Information Page, click here
October 14, 2025 | KINSHIP PHOTOGRAPHY CIRCLE
Artist Presentations and Conversation
Lynne Buchanan & Susan J. Preston
(ZOOM)
August 13, 2025 | Artist Presentation & Conversation with Photo Book Artists Griffin Museum of Photography, Massachusetts (Zoom)
August 8, 2025 | SOUTHEAST ARIZONA BIRDING FESTIVAL
The Gentle Gaze Mindful Photography Workshop
August 7, 2025 | SOUTHEAST ARIZONA BIRDING FESTIVAL
Artist Presentation: Presence & Wonder in Nature: Expanding Our Capacity to Be with a Changing World
April 2025 | MINDFUL BIRDING NETWORK PODCAST
Recording of Susan’s mindful photography zoom presentation
December 21, 2024 | LA ORILLA FARM, Albuquerque, New Mexico
The Gentle Gaze: Light in the Darkness – Mindful Photography Workshop
Donation-based
November 8-9, 2024 | GREAT MIDWEST CRANE FEST hosted by the International Crane Foundation and Aldo Leopold Foundation
• Nov. 8, 2024 | Susan will give a photography presentation and a reading from her book BOSQUE, Winter Wings followed by Q & A and a book signing.
• Nov. 9, 2024 | The Gentle Gaze, the Relational Path of Bird Photography Workshop – Join Susan J. Preston and Holly Thomas for a mindful bird photography outing.
March 2024 | MONTE VISTA CRANE FESTIVAL, San Luis Valley, Colorado
Art Show and Book Signing
December 2023 | FESTIVAL of the CRANES, Bosque del Apache, NM
Book Signing
November 2023 | FRIENDS of BOSQUE del APACHE NWR
OASIS Community Presentation (online)
August 2023 | MINDFUL BIRDING NETWORK
Mindful Photography and Book Presentation
Podcast recording is coming April 2025!
June 2023 | THE HAMLET CURIOSITY COMMUNITY
Listening with All Our Senses, Book Presentation
