Nancy Matheson

I came to photography relatively late in life. It wasn’t until the 1990s, when I was living in Ontario, far from family and friends, that I picked up a camera – it was mostly to share my experiences with distant family and friends. Digital photography was just taking off. I remember my little 6 mega-pixel Nikon Coolpix with great fondness. To make sharing easier, I opened a Flickr account—and there I discovered people creating photographs for more than just keeping memories. I was inspired, connected with others, and photography quickly became a passion.

Before long, I outgrew my point-and-shoot and moved into the world of DSLRs. A decade ago, I finally traded in my DSLR gear for the Fujifilm mirrorless system, which I continue to use and love to this day. Lately I’ve been exploring the photographic possibilities of modern smartphones, and I’ve made some of my favourite recent images on my Samsung.

After 15 years in Ontario, we returned to BC, and in 2008 I joined the New Westminster Photography Club—one of the oldest Clubs in the province. Over the years, I’ve held various roles and currently serve as Website Administrator and Vice-President. I also lead the occasional workshop, recently focused on smartphone photography and I genuinely enjoy helping others discover what’s possible with the cameras they have close at hand.

I have been a CAPA member since about 2009, but not an active one. I’d glance at the magazine, but never took part in any of the competitions, or other programs. That changed with the Kelowna CAPA Conference in 2024. I enjoyed the conference enormously. I attended a judging workshop. And I entered my first CAPA competition, in which I achieved an Honourable Mention. Sometime during this past year, I put my hand up to volunteer, and after a brief time as a District Rep, I joined the CAPA board.

Most of my photography is made close to home. Much as I love landscape and wildlife photography, I’m a city kid, drawn to urban flora and fauna, gardens, cityscapes, construction and the especially the transitional spaces where one thing shifts into another—where the natural world edges into the built one, or where residential meets industrial. That’s where I find the stories that intrigue me.

Please contact me at pacific@capacanada.ca