2 days left to show opening!

Things are starting to come together for my first solo exhibition at The Hive Artists' Hub. Posters and postcards have been distributed, I've posted the event on facebook, and it was even featured on Art Rubicon. I have all the pieces hung in the gallery and just need to add the signage and finishing details to be ready for opening night on Friday. If you're local to Medicine Hat, look for me on Chat news either tonight or tomorrow (I'm not sure when it will be airing) as I was interviewed this morning for a piece on the arts and culture minister.

Hope to see you at the opening Friday night!

On another note, I will not be taking anymore bookings for the week following my show, sorry.

UNDER THE INFLUENCE - Susan Knight Solo Exhibition

I am excited and proud to present my first solo exhibition:




OPENING RECEPTION: Friday December 10, 2010 7:00-10:00pm
Regular hours: Mon-Fri 9:00-5:00, Sat 12:00-5:00

Erin Farrell, a professional photographer in Delaware, recently wrote a refreshingly eloquent rebuttle to the "Your camera takes really nice photos" comment.

Imagine that you’re baking dessert for a party. It’s your special recipe: the one everyone asks for. You make it from scratch, of course, never looking at the recipe that you committed to memory so long ago. Sugar, beaten eggs, sift in the flour… you’re crafting something delicious from basic elements. Now you’re at the party and everyone is gushing about your dessert. The flavor! The texture! But most of all you’re being asked, “what kind of oven do you have? It makes great cakes!”

That’s pretty much how a photographer feels when people look at their photos and say, “your camera takes great pictures.”

She goes on to explain here experiment using her camera and a non-professional behind the lens, vs. herself taking photos with the same model in the same location. A very interesting article. Read her whole blog post here.

2010 Visual Arts Show

I just finished putting together my submission for this year's Visual Arts Show at the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede. All three are available to purchase as prints in my Etsy shop!

Motor Mouthing Off

Rum Runner

1937 Hudson Terraplane

Warning: Proud Aunty moment

I had the honour of taking Maternity photos for my kid brother and his beautiful wife a couple of weeks ago. The rain let up just long enough for us to head over to Confederation Park in Calgary, and spend some time in the great outdoors. The photos turned out beautifully!
I can't wait for little miss A to make her grand entrance in just a few short weeks!

Fine Art Prints available through Etsy

I've just listed items for sale on my Etsy shop. If there is a photo you are interested in that is not listed, please send me a message!

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade themelodycensor.etsy.com

Grad season is upon us

Looking for something a little different than the cap & gown photos the school photographer provides?

Don't want the added stress of having photos done the day of grad ceremonies?

Casual Grad Portraits
$100 session fee
$50 Cd of 15 retouched high resolution photos of your choice

-1.5 hour max
-1 person only
-$25/additional person

visit my website to book session

Spring has sprung

And with it comes one of the busiest months I've had in a long time as Joel and I finish up the long drawn out project that has been our house renovation. March 2010 is month 37 in the renovation process that was only supposed to be a cosmetic fix and take 3-4 months.

Built in between 1908 and 1912, our house is a beautiful to the bones example of fine craftsmanship. It had fallen into disrepair as the neighbourhood fell down around it, and had been part of the low end rental market for about 10 years, and had a reputation for being a drug house. We names her Millicent, and gave her a complete overhaul, making her a brand new 100 year old house.I will write again for the grand relieve wen we're finished, but I am getting so excited taht I just had to share a little bit of the progress we've made, and also ask patience from my clients over the next couple of weeks while we finish up and get settled in.

BEFORE: This is the powder room on the main floor off the kitchen. When we bought the house, it had only a toilet in it, and the nearest sink was the kitchen sink. There were about 5 guys living in the main floor suite at the time. Needless to say, it was disgusting! As you can see, the window doesn't have a curtain...and it faces the backyard, which can easily be seen from the busy sidewalk outside the fence.

AFTER: New obsured glass window, new electrical and plumbing, new drywall (including boxing in the plumbing stack) and ceramic tile floor, new door and trim, new toilet and the tiniest cutest sink ever. It may be small, but it is quite posh now. We still have to add the glass mosaic backsplash and the towle bar etc, but this is the room that is closest to being finished.

2009: the good, the bad, and the ugly

2009 was an unbelievable year, and not neccessarily in the good way. Although there were definitly good times and great memories, I am not sad to see the back side of 2009 as it leaves and makes way for 2010, which invariable has to be a better year.

Highlights:
I got to travel quite a bit this year...
Seattle in April with my good frined Ian.
Saskatchewan in early July with a group of photographers for a ghost town convention, and then again in late July with my sister as we travelled Alberta and Saskatchewan on out "Biggest Things" road trip.
Victoria in October as support crew for my friend Jennifer's first half marathon.
And Hawaii for almost 3 weeks in December with my partner's family.

I watched my 3 beautiful nieces grow and change throughout the year. It is amazing to see how much they change in such a short time when they are so young.

I made new friends through a female photographer's group I am part of, as well as strengthening another friendship originally made through photography.

I have also met some wonderful people through my photography business and I am convinced I have the most beautiful clients ever, both inside and out!

Lowlights:
I was laid off in January...and again in September. Being unemployed is tough, and knowing that in order to persue my career I will have to reloacte takes quite a toll on me at times.

My partner and I had a tough emotional year, and were not sure at times if we would make it through the tough times together. We are working on our problems everyday and hopefully 2010 will see us stroonger than ever.

Things to look forward to in 2010:
I will have a new niece or nephew in July! My brother and his wife just announced that they are expecting, so I will have a new little one to play Auntie Paparazzi to.

Our house will finally be finished in the next month (6 weeks tops!). It has been a long journey (almost 3 years of renovating)but having a beautiful house in the end will be worth it (I hope)!

Continued relationships with friends and loved ones, and working relationships with clients (current and new).

I've taken on yet another year of self portrait (year 4 - I must be insane); it is always interesting to see what that project has in store. And on that note, here is a video of 2009's 365days project extras, a whole year's worth in 7 minutes.

Wishing all of you a very happy new year (only a couple of days late!)