Ceramics

Recently, I have been charged with capturing the beauty of some stunning ceramics.

A key challenge when photographing ancient pottery is to judge the highlight values correctly. There is little point in recording an artefact if the reflective quality of the glaze overpowers and degrades the colours and pattern underneath.

Ceramic textures vary hugely, from a matt, almost sandy surface, to a perfect mirror finish glaze and, in addition, with many objects like vases and bowls being rounded, achieving the right lighting balance is always a challenge.