Sipping Macros « Zach awry in Japan

9 September 2007 Sipping Macros

I’ve always loved taking macro photos of fine glass; there’s something about the way the fluidity of the liquid glass manages to keep its character even after it hardens that I find transfixing. The same is true for some forms of pottery.

In one of the most happiest coincidences (for me) ever, the neighbor at my old house is a fine Japanese potter. I’ve always loved Japanese pottery, which comes in very, very many forms. Like most Japanese art, it benefits from Japanese obsession to detail and willingness to invest insane amounts of effort. And, like other Japanese forms of art, the best is incredibly expensive. Well, my neighbor is a practitioner of Tenmoku (天目) style pottery which has the same fluid forms that I’ve always found so entrancing about glass. And, the colors are just gorgeous. I could never afford his work, but he has been nice enough to give me some rejects from time to time. If you’re in NY, you can go see his stuff at some dumpy local joint.

(Not only has he been incredibly generous with his work, but he and his family (with three older kids) love taking care of Genbo. When we lived next door Genbo would go play at their house on a regular basis, and even now he spends about one night each month over there.)

Of course, his rejects are my prized possessions. Here are two sake cups that I am extremely fond of sipping fine Scotch from. Since I wanted to break in my new lens with some actual macro shots, these seemed like perfect subjects.

Click for full enjoyment of larger images.