Malcolm Gorrill
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Dec 07/01) - Vicki Boudreau takes photos every chance she gets.

Boudreau, who has lived in Inuvik for about 30 years, said taking photos began as a hobby, until last year when she began to sell them.

"I've been taking photos for about 30 years, but I didn't realize they were good enough that anybody would want to buy them until last year," Boudreau said.

"Some of the people that had seen them asked if I was going to sell them, so I said I would."

Boudreau set up a booth at last year's Christmas Craft and Bake Sale at Sir Alexander Mackenzie school. She had a booth again at this year's event. She said the ones she had there were all digital, though there are some other photos she has taken with conventional film and then scanned into a computer.

Boudreau sells photos on an ongoing basis at Mac's News.

She explained that she now has photos for sale of all the seasons.

"Last year I only had the ones I had sort of done in the late fall and early winter," Boudreau said.

"I expanded things this year and made the cards and the calendars, which is something new. Those have been selling very well."

Boudreau explained she takes some photographs of people, but most feature countryside.

"The country is so spectacular. Today I missed the most gorgeous sunset just because I was sitting in here. It was just so beautiful out there," she said.

"There's not a day goes by that you can't take a really nice picture in this town somewhere. I really enjoy it," she said.

"With the scenery here, the water and the sunrises and sunsets are truly spectacular, I think, and the water always changes all the time."

This past summer Boudreau began taking photos of flowers and other plants.

"I've also done some pictures of some of the beadwork that the ladies do in the area, which is another type of flower but very, very pretty," she said. "All the ladies have different patterns and different designs."

Boudreau was born in Manitoba and raised in Saskatchewan. She moved to Alberta after getting married, before coming to Inuvik. She said over the years here she's been out at some strange hours with her camera.

"I've even been stopped by the RCMP one night, when I was cruising around at 2:30 in the morning."

Boudreau's day job is at the Inuvik Housing Authority, and she explained she sometimes takes photos during lunchtime or her coffee break.

"So you just never know, any time of the day or night, I'm out there," Boudreau said with a laugh.