My Story
Susan Nilsson
My father gave me his old camera equipment twice in my life. Once when I was young, and again years later.
That second gift brought me back to something I’d nearly forgotten. The love I found in high school darkrooms, and the way photography makes the world feel quieter and more meaningful.
Today, I photograph the outdoors to hold onto those moments, the ones that slow you down. The light, the stillness, the wildlife that appears when you’re patient enough to notice.
My Photography Journey
I started photography in high school, back in the days of darkrooms and black-and-white prints. Life got busy, I raised my three boys, and photography took a back seat for a while.
Years later, my father handed me his older Nikon gear and something clicked back into place. I took local night-school classes to refresh my skills, and I realised how much I’d missed it.
These days, most of my work happens in Muskoka, where my husband and I have a cottage and a long history of memories. It’s my favourite place to photograph, not because it’s “perfect,” but because it feels like home. Algonquin Park is close by too, and I’m slowly exploring more of it as I go.
I’m drawn to landscapes, wildlife, and night skies. I’m a sunset person, and I never get tired of watching the light change. Wildlife is still the hardest part for me, timing, distance, patience, but that challenge is part of why I love it.
Over time, I moved from my father’s Nikon to a Fujifilm mirrorless camera. It felt like the right fit, and in a funny twist, my father ended up choosing Fujifilm too, without us even talking about it. Later, he passed that equipment on to me as well.
Looking ahead, I want to grow this work beyond my local area. I’d love to sell in local galleries, photograph more of Canada, and eventually bring my camera to places tied to my roots, like Sweden and England, along with a long list of places I hope to see one day.
At the heart of it, this work is about the feeling the images leave you with. My hope is that someone sees a photo and feels a small shift, a breath, a pause, a reminder that there’s still quiet and beauty out there.
As print sales grow, I also plan to give back through wildlife conservation, supporting the natural spaces that inspire this work.