The first time I felt the gravity of this work, we were photographing Cutlip, one of five remaining, genetically distinct black-footed ferrets. He motions to Cutlip's endearing portrait at the exhibit's entrance. Cutlip, a black-footed ferret. From the shadowy hall, footsteps echo and a uniform emerges. Liittschwager recounts their rare photo session with the surprisingly gentle beast in Sequim, Washington.
People are hungry to feel a connection, but they feel so isolated from endangered species.
We just hear about them as statistics. Middleton, who grew up on the outskirts of Seattle, recalls her earliest connection with wildlife like the salmon in the creek running through her family's back yard. Her true passions, though, evolved toward contemporary art. She was working as a museum curator, photographing mummies and rare Hopi artifacts, when she met Liittschwager, a commercial photographer from Eugene, Oregon. Though not partners in romance, Liittschwager and Middleton soon discovered a mutual passion that would bring both renown for their work and new hope for endangered wildlife.