I love things that are handcrafted, especially when it’s food related.

During a trip to Japan, I had an opportunity to visit the old pottery village Shigaraki, where they are known for having one of the Six Ancient Kilns. One of the local potters invited us into to his home/store and shared stories about Shigaraki’s history, generations of pottery making in his family, and the process they use in creating Shigaraki ware. Among the ceramic collections in his store, there was an oddly shaped tea cup, that when held – balanced nicely in your hands and rested perfectly on your lips. The craftsmanship was amazing!

Anyway, I found out that one of my relatives have been creating ceramic ware for decades. She currently creates at a local art studio in San Francisco, and invited me to watch and capture the process of her creating ceramic bowls. It was a fun experience to watch and learn more about ceramic ware.

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Photography Info

All the photographs were shot during “class time’, so I did not use any lights other than the available overhead fluorescent lighting. The camera setting was F5.6 to F8 @ 1/100th with an ISO of 2000.The camera setting combination gave me the ability to handhold, so I could be mobile and document the process of creating ceramic ware.

Camera: Canon 5D Mark 2

Lighting: Available Light