Christina M. Selby

Photographer, Multi-media Storyteller, Writer, Book Author, Botanical Artist

M.A. Environment & Community, B.Sc. Ecology, Evolution and Animal Behavior

  • My photography focuses on the relationships between landscapes, people, native plants, and the species that form a living community and define and shape a place over time.

    I highlight often lesser-known ecosystems and species beyond charismatic wildlife, revealing their roles, behaviors, and relationships within living systems.

    These stories keep our connection to nature alive so it isn’t forgotten, even as it changes.

    I’m interested in stories that illuminate who we are in relation to the more-than-human world and how we are finding our way (back) to our place as stewards of the earth.

    Multimedia storytelling is a powerful tool to motivate others to act on behalf of nature. I use aerial, macro, landscape, underwater, remote camera, photojournalism, and any other technique required to tell engaging stories that speak to our shared need for beauty and connection to nature.

  • I have covered such stories as changes in migration patterns of Rocky Mountain sandhill cranes, a rural community saving an endangered sunflower, biologists finding a lost species of monkey in the Amazon, ranchers saving the rainforest through sustainable beef production in Brazil, and allocating water rights to nature to keep the river alive in the Rio Grande Valley. My work has appeared in publications such as: Audubon Magazine, National Wildlife Magazine, Sierra Magazine,bioGraphic, Scientific American, National Geographic online, Outdoor Photographer, New Mexico Magazine, The Guardian, High Country News, Mongabay, among others and has benefitted organizations such as The Nature Conservancy New Mexico, Grand Canyon Trust, Institute for Applied Ecology,New Mexico Wild, Defenders of Wildlife - Southwest, Audubon Southwest, and NM State Forestry/Endangered Plants Program.

    I share my obsession with wildflowers in my book Best Wildflower Hikes of New Mexico (FalconGuides, March 2020), and my love of enjoying the outdoors with my family in my guide book New Mexico Family Outdoor Adventures (UNM Press, September 2021). I produced and co-directed of the feature documentary Saving Beauty: Learning to Live with the Rare Ones Among Us. In 2022, I became an Emerging League Member of the International League of Conservation Photographers.

    I co-founded and for over a decade co-directed the non-profit environmental education organization Earth Care. I learned fluent Spanish while living as a Peace Corps Volunteer for three years in Panama, and Portuguese when spending a year working on conservation photojournalism assignments in Brazil, a country I return to often. While the Americas have my heart, I have lived and traveled extensively in Europe, India and beyond.

    My professional background includes working in aquatic research, environmental education, sustainable development, environmental non-profits, and science journalism, as well as short stints as a dishwasher at a Friday night fish fry, a hotel cleaning lady, file organizer, waitress at a Vietnamese restaurant, dog kennel keeper, natural history museum docent, hiking trail maintainer, and fish tank cleaner. CLICK HERE to see my full CV.

  • When I’m not searching for lost monkeys in the Amazon, tracking Mexican wolves in the southwest, probing desert springs for tiny endemic snails, or chasing rare wildflowers in alpine meadows, you can find me at home in Santa Fe, New Mexico enjoying a hot vanilla latte and a card game with my two boys, husband, and Great Pyrenees "Glacier" and “Polar” in the stunning landscapes of the Southern Rockies.

  • Published in:

    • bioGraphic

    • Audubon Magazine

    • Sierra Magazine

    • ​Scientific American

    • National Wildlife Magazine

    • National Geographic Online

    • Outdoor Photographer

    • New Mexico Magazine

    • High Country News

    • The Guardian

    • Mongabay

    • Tumbleweeds

    • Ensia


    2025 Instructor, Santa Fe Workshops

    2022-2025 Emerging League Member, International League of Conservation Photographers

    2016 Fellow, The Open Notebook/Burroughs Wellcome Fund 

    2016 Reporting Intern, Mongabay

    2016, 2017, 2024 Workshop Assistant, Santa Fe Photography Workshops

    2003-2011 Co-Founder, Executive Director, Program Director, Earth Care

    1999-2001 Peace Corps Volunteer, Panama

  • Solo Exhibitions

    2026 December 2025 - March 2026 Gestures from the Land, CHOMP Loft Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico

    2025 June - October, Gestures from the Land, Co-Fe Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico

    2023 April - November, Piñon Country, Outdoor Photography Exhibit, Santa Fe Botanical Garden, Santa Fe, New Mexico

    2018 The Gila Wilderness, Ohori’s Cafe, Santa Fe, New Mexico

    Group Exhibitions

    2025 Color + Space Exhibition, PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, Vermont

    • Top 24, North American Nature Photographers Association 2022 Showcase, Judge’s Choice Award, Conservation Category

    • Silver Award, International Regional Magazine Association Awards 2021, “Bloom Town” Story and Photos

    • New Mexico Book Design Award 2020 for Best Wildflower Hikes New Mexico

    • Big Picture Competition, Semi-Finalist 2019

    • New Mexico Magazine Photo Contest, Finalist 2018

    • Native Plant Society Photo Contest, 1st Place in Region 2018

    • North American Nature Photographers Top 250 Showcase 2018

    • New Mexico Environmental Educator of the Year 2013

  • July 22, 2026 - Santa Fe Workshops Speaker Series

    PAST

    June 26, 2025 - Native Plants and Public Lands: Why Our Voices and Care Matters, Co-Fe Gallery Opening, 5:30-8pm

    March 21, 2025 - Understanding and Protecting Land and Water through Photography, Grand Staircase-Escalante Symposium, Escalante, UT

    ​March 6 - 7, 2025 - Photography on Public Lands: The Ethics of Photography in our Modern Age, Grand Staircase Regional Guide Association Symposium, Escalante, Utah

    March 2024 - Nature’s Garden: The Flowerscapes of New Mexico, Santa Fe Garden Club

    November 10, 2023 - Episode 117: Learning About The Vital Importance Of The Springs of the Southwest, Rewilding Podcast

    April 27, 2023 - Welcome to Piñon Country: Observations on Art and Advocacy with Katherine Ware, Photography Curator, New Mexico Museum of Art + Exhibition Tours

    August 2021 - Saving Beauty Storytelling Project - Native Plant Society New Mexico Annual State Conference, Alamogordo, NM​

    October 6, 2021 - Wildflower Adventuring - Native Plant Society, Albuquerque Chapter

    November 24, 2020 - New Mexico Wetlands Roundtable Conference (North) - A Sense of Place: Saving Beauty Project

    November 5, 2020 - Q&A Panel following Premiere of Saving Beauty film, Quivira Coalition Regenerate Conference

    June 24, 2020 - Wildflower Adventures in New Mexico Presentation to Santa Fe Master Gardeners

    June 13, 2020 - Wildflower Hiking - Garden Journal Radio Show, KSFR

    June 3, 2020 - Wildflower Adventures in New Mexico Presentation to Native Plant Society New Mexico - Taos Chapter

    ​April 15, 2020 - Wildflower Adventures in New Mexico Presentation to Native Plant Society New Mexico - Santa Fe Chapter

Ways to Work with Me

  • Open magazine pages showing white ptarmigans in snowy landscape, with the article for Audubon Magazine titled "Elevated Risk" discussing the impact of climate change on their habitat.

    For Editorial & Media Outlets

    I produce science-centered stories and photo essays for publications seeking rich, field-based storytelling.

    I’m available for editorial photography and writing assignments, and I have a large collection of stock photography available. Visit my Stories‍ and ‍Projects pages to see my work. Contact me regarding stories or image licensing.

  • A landscape of spring-fed wetlands with sparse vegetation and shallow water, under a cloudy sky.

    For Conservation & Science Partners

    I document species, ecosystems, and restoration work through imagery and narrative that help audiences understand and care about your mission. Contact me to discuss how I can support your campaign.

  • Poster for a print capture event in the Organ Mountain Desert Peaks National Monument with a background of blooming orange flowers in a field, mountains, and a starry sky at dusk.

    For Learners & Creatives

    I lead workshops that blend craft, ecology, the experience of place, and using our images to benefit the places and species we love to photograph. I help photographers and storytellers grow through time in the field. Visit my Events page for latest workshops.

  • A person walking on a grassy trail in a green meadow surrounded by wildflowers with a tree, hills, and clouds in the sky during sunset.

    For Connecting with Nature

    From guide books, to wildflower walks, to retreats with me in the great outdoors, I support you in sinking into the beauty all around us and deepening your knowledge and connection with nature. Visit my webstore for Guide Books.

  • Modern living room with white walls, a fireplace, a large framed landscape photo with a pink flower, a black pendant light, a small white bowl with lemons, a curved wooden lounge chair, and a pine firewood storage.

    For Art Collectors

    My fine art prints bring the spirit of wild landscapes into homes and galleries, with a portion of each sale supporting conservation. Visit my Fine Art store for prints.