Nova Scotia photographer ‘models’ life on the water in new book

Award-winning photographer Katherine Knight talks about her new book that celebrates model boats.

Sailboats have been a star feature of Maritime media since the Bluenose was a champion racing schooner, but photographer Katherine Knight’s work is a microstudy of a smaller niche.

Knight’s new book, “Boat,” features photographs of model boats, essays and first-person stories from model builders and cultural historians.

“The water has been a predominant theme in my work since the very beginning,” Knight said. Getting the best light, the right frame and proper focus are all about finding the correct position in relation to her subject, she said.

“I love getting in the water with the boats. For the first few years I was photographing with my very good camera. I would be up to my thighs in the water.”

Knight said she compliments her work with an underwater camera for a different perspective now.

“Which allows me to actually submerge and get water right at the surface, so you can see below and see above,” she said. “Both at the same time.”

Knight said boats represent the transitional qualities she’s always looked for in her artwork.

“They’re on the water. They’re in the water. They’re beautiful, handcrafted items.”

Model boats tell stories of Maritime tenacity and resilience from the past, Knight said.

“They’re not just boats. They’re stories of people and places and things that we value in life.”

Knight said she started photographing in 1979 as a student as the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD).

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