I have been making photographs for over 50 years. 

I was born in Milton, Massachusetts, and in the early seventies, after being educated in the East, I escaped to Eugene, Oregon to visit my brother and his wife for the summer. I stayed for ten years. Eugene was a magical place; it wasn’t exactly drugs, sex, and rock and roll, but sort of.  I worked as a waitress, a Vista volunteer for Head Start, and a graphic designer for the Small Farmer’s Journal. I ran 10Ks, played soccer and softball, went white water rafting, watched the nude Flying Karamasov Brothers juggle watermelons and swords, and made remarkable friends. I became more intrigued by photography, particularly by self-portraiture, and then spent two years in Athens, Ohio at Ohio University for an MFA in photography.

After returning to Boston to be closer to my family, I cleaned houses, waitressed, and eventually taught photography at several schools.  At 37, much to the relief of my mother, I married and had two children.  Pregnancy was a terrific photo opportunity.  My children are grown, and I am still concentrating on my work and continuing to document my life and go on walks with my husband and dog, Belle. I feel lucky to have picked up a camera so many years ago.

-Nancy Roberts