After more than 50 years, Rusty Reid isn't ready to give up her involvement in the Yukon Photographic Arts Society just yet.

The feisty 78-year-old is the society's regional director, although the Whitehorse chapter is currently the only active photography club in the Yukon.

'Photography inspires you to look at things differently,' Reid said in an interview this week. 'It's not just about point and click. It teaches you the art of seeing.'

Reid founded the Whitehorse Photography Club back in the 1950s, at which point she didn't even know how to put film into a camera, she says.

At one of her children's birthday parties, however, her late husband, Bill, encouraged Reid to learn more about taking photos.

Fifty years later, Reid is still learning about photography and has just bought a brand new digital camera.

'There's been a big shift to digital photography,' she says.

The Whitehorse Photography Club engages in a range of activities including photography workshops in which participants learn more about using their cameras effectively, field trips, exhibitions, and even photography seminars.

The renowned nature photographer Freeman Patterson has been a guest speaker for the Whitehorse Photography Club twice, says Reid.

Most recently, Reid attended the 30th annual Abbotsford Photo Arts Club Photographic Seminar.

Professional photographer Andre Gallant made a guest appearance at the seminar, which offered instructional sessions in photoshop, composition and design, travel photography, lighting, photojournalism and portraiture.

Members of the club routinely get involved in community events by taking photographs of festivals and the Yukon Quest.

Club member Linda McGill, a lifelong Whitehorse resident, was a photographer for this year's Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse.

'I've been a photographer for over 25 years now,' says McGill.

The 'creative control' is what McGill loves most about photography. 'I always want to do something different from other photographers.

'I know I see the world differently. Put a coffee cup on the table and I can take 20 different photos of it. That's actually how I see the entire world.'

The club also participates in the North Shore Challenge, an annual photography contest hosted by the Vancouver-based North Shore Photography Club.

The contest is open to all photography clubs in British Columbia and the Yukon, says Reid, and each club can submit up to 10 photographs. Of the 30 clubs that participate, the Whitehorse club usually ranks in the top 10.

Considering that many of the participating clubs have up to 150 members, this is quite an achievement, says Reid.

The purpose of the club is to promote photography and fellowship, says executive member Ford Colyer. 'We want to teach, instruct, promote, and enjoy.'

'(Photography) builds new friendships and brings together people who are interested in photography,' says Reid.

'We're trying to really recruit younger people. Let's try and get some new blood in here,' says McGill.

The Whitehorse Photography Club meets the first Thursday of every month.