Since becoming a food photographer I’ve developed what can only be described as an obsession with ceramics. Having a strong range of Earthenware and Stoneware to choose from can make styling a food shoot far more effortless, so building up my prop cupboard with the best ceramics has been an agenda of mine for a while.
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Sytch Farm Sample Ceramic Bowels

I could of course simply rent ceramics from the main London prop houses – China and Co, Backgrounds – like so many other food photographers do but that’s far less fun than sourcing them yourself.

But just like backdrops I’ve found them curiously difficult to source. Etsy in its early years was placed to be a market leader in this field, but it seems that greed and a disregard for product curation has seen it become a glorified Ebay. So with no real ceramic hubs to speak of (although I would love to be told I’m wrong about this) I’ve had to be a little bit creative with the way I source my ceramics.

One method I’ve found to be both fruitful and enjoyable is contacting talented ceramists directly through instagram. Sytch Farm is a studio I’ve been following for six months or so and I recently arranged a visit to the farm, where husband and wife team Gill and Jon make beautiful stoneware and hand carved chopping boards respectively.
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Gills Ceramic Studio and her helpers

Despite a long and rainy December drive from South London to their farm in Shrewsbury I couldn’t have been happier with my decision to pay the pair a visit. Welcomed into their studio/home with warmth that you usually have to drive four hours out of London to experience, I was provided with a tour of their farm and fed a delicious country lunch (served in some beautiful bowls).

Following this, I had the fun but difficult job of picking out some amazing food photography props including 50 or so bowls, plates and boards. All of which are now sitting happily in my photography studio
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