Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1948, Susan was raised in Dover, Massachusetts. She attended Oldfields School and the University of Denver, where she graduated in 1970. She completed seven years of post graduate work at the Art Institute of Boston under the guidance of David Ulrich, Chairman of the Photography Department and attended workshops led by Paul Caponigro, Nick Hlobeczy, Jerry Uelsmann, Ernst Haas, Michael O'Neil and Gene Richards.Susan has taught photography at the Maine Photographic Workshops and The Art Institute of Boston.In 1982 she opened her own photographic studio in Franconia New Hampshire, which she operated for seven years. For the past five years she has worked with her husband, Dick Durrance II, on location advertising assignments. In 1991 she became the first woman ever awarded a Marlboro assignment. In 1993 and 1994 her color panoramic landscapes were chosen by Fuji Film for a national testimonial advertisement.

Her work hangs in several private collections and was selected for the 1991 Communication Arts Photography Annual.