I recently pitched an idea to my friend (and one of the owners of MadeBy Pottery), Becca Burdette. I wanted to create something that went beyond photos of finished pieces. I wanted to tell the story of her studio.
Becca jumped at the idea, and we immediately started planning. Before long, Frank Miller was on board to capture drone footage and video, and what started as a small photography project had quickly evolved into a full small business documentary.
Honestly...I couldn't have been more excited.
Walking into the studio, I expected to photograph pottery.
Instead, I found stories.
Lots of them.
There were people learning to throw on the wheel. Every table had someone building something out of clay. Conversations filled the room, hands were covered in mud, and every few minutes someone celebrated because they had finally gotten the thing to work...or laughed because it spectacularly collapsed.
It wasn't just about making mugs or bowls. It was about watching people create something that hadn't existed an hour before. And having so much fun while doing it.
As the evening went on, I found myself paying less attention to the finished pottery and more attention to the little moments. The clay-covered hands. The intense concentration while someone tried to center a lump of clay. The tiny details carved into a handle that most people would never notice. Those little moments became some of my favorite photographs.
Every small business has a story. Sometimes it's found in the products on the shelves.
But more often, it's found in the people behind them. It's in the hands covered in clay, the moments of frustration, the little victories, and the pride of creating something from nothing.
That's the story I saw at MadeBy Pottery.
Thank you, Becca, for trusting me to capture a small piece of it. I already can't wait to come back.
Until the next story,
Lori
