ROMAN JEHANNO

CAPTURING CRAFTSMANSHIP ACROSS JAPAN

A master whisky blender working at the base of Mt. Fuji, a traditional Noh mask maker, and a bamboo basket weaver living in a mountain forest are just a few of the highly talented artisans that French photographer Roman Jehanno met on his photographic journey through Japan. Using the H6D-100c, Roman traveled to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Miyazaki, Hamamatsu, Gotemba, and Ina to shoot portraits of 33 Japanese craftspeople right in their element. Using beautifully balanced lighting, Roman harmonizes the artisan with their environment, giving the viewer a personal invitation into each of their dynamic workspaces.

Yamamoto Akihisa casts handmade bronze mirrors used in traditional temples.

PORTRAIT PLANNING

Before jetting off to Japan, Roman heavily researched and selected the artisans he wanted to photograph – this was either through contacts who knew someone in Japan who happened to know a craftsperson or hours upon hours of looking through different subject’s websites, Instagram accounts, blogs, TV reports, and magazine articles until he found a profile that fit the project.

Unable to communicate in Japanese, Roman enlisted the help of a friend in Paris who was able to contact the artisans that were selected, explain the project, and schedule the shootings. While on site, a translator joined Roman to make sure he had full ability to communicate his creative vision to his subjects.

NEON SIGN DESIGNER

Hidenobu Takahashi designs and creates handmade neon signs in Yokohama. First, he draws out how the piece will look. Then, he bends glass tubes in a controlled fire. Managing the pressure inside the tube with his breath, he keeps the heat balanced inside and outside the tube. Producing his own personal work for exhibitions, he also has the ability to make huge commercial signs.

BAMBOO BASKET WEAVER

Gen started his own company, Gentake, where he creates hand-woven baskets and bags from bamboo. He lives in an isolated traditional house inside a mountain forest near Hamamatsu.

IKEBANA MASTER

Junko Okimoto is an Ikebana Master (the Japanese art of flower arrangement). She also lives in and takes care of a 1300-year-old temple in the Shiga Prefecture.

LIGHTING

As a crucial part of his composition, Roman used an artistic contrast between light and shadow to delicately highlight the subject without them getting lost in the details of their work environment. To achieve this, Roman used two broncolor Siros L (400J and 800J) and a 90x120 softbox on the main light. The secondary light was coupled with a 60x60 softbox.

Atsushi Heki is an actor and dancer, combining traditional dance techniques with more contemporary styles.

MASK MAKER

Noh mask maker Mitsue Nakamura works in Kyoto where she has her own school teaching the art of mask making.

AWARD-WINNING WHISKY BLENDER

Internationally recognized and award-winning whisky blender Jota Tanaka works for the Kirin Fuji Gotemba Distillery at the base of Mt. Fuji as the distillery’s Master Blender.

The H6D-100c gives me the opportunity to have a huge amount of details and information even with a large field of view and in really low-lit areas. This was quite crucial for this project as the light I constructed had to coexist with the light on site.

ABOUT ROMAN JEHANNO

Fascinated with photography from the age of 17, French photographer Roman Jehanno graduated in 2008 from the Paris-based photography school, Gobelins. There, he was introduced to Hasselblad as his class shot on Hasselblad 503CW cameras. In 2014, Roman won the prestigious title of Hasselblad Master in the general category. See more images from his project here.

DISCOVER THE H6D-100C

More Hasselblad stories

All stories

Ottavio Giannella

THE EARTH AWAKENS

Photographer Ottavio Giannella flies with his X1D II 50C from Italy to Frankfurt and then on to Keflavík Airport in Iceland. He makes a 40-minute drive to the valley of the Reykjavík peninsula and a two-hour walk to his destination, the Fagradalsfjall eruption site.

Dayanita Singh

Books, Boxes, and Museums - Exhibits Reconstructed

On the 15th of October, Dayanita Singh was presented with the 2022 Hasselblad Award by the Hasselblad Foundation. Often referred to as "the Nobel Prize" in photography, the Hasselblad Award celebrates one artist's pioneering achievements in the photographic arts and their impact on the next generation of photographers. The Hasselblad Foundation highlights Singh's unique archival work, that not only documents the lives of archives but brings about a new way to interact and experience the art of photography.

Ali Rajabi

Pausing New York With the X2D

Every photographer knows about the Hasselblad brand, whether they're an amateur, enthusiast, or professional because the history of photography is on the shoulders of Hasselblad. For me, it's an investment in my career, to move to the next level. It's always important to have the right tools in the right moments to make great photographs.

Hans Strand

Iceland in Mesmerising 100MP Detail

For me as a photographer, the X2D is what a Stradivarius violin might be for a violinist. It's the ultimate camera.

Flora Borsi

Magical Realism With The X2D

The X2D is like a camera for painters. The pictures have the taste and technical background of a painting. I almost couldn't differentiate the two because it's just so perfect. This camera produces all the data I could ever use to convey the tales I want to tell with my pictures.

Heath Holden

Disappearing Doha

Discovering his new home of Doha, Qatar through the lens of street photography, Heath Holden explored the older and more traditional neighborhoods of the historical city.

Walter Janach

A Love Affair with Aviation on the 500C

Unable to become a pilot due to his eyesight, the young Swiss photographer and later professor of technical thermodynamics Walter Janach channeled his passion for aviation into capturing these majestic flying machines on his 500C.

Donald Michael Chambers

60 Minutes of Silence

No talking. No phones. No distractions. For 60 minutes, Donald Michael Chambers sat with each of his 30 subjects in complete silence. Once the hour began, Donald gave no direction and simply decided when to click the shutter button.

Gavin Goodman

Pleating Paper into Sculptural Headwear

South African photographer Gavin Goodman had a vision to create a series influenced by traditional African headwear done with a modern and simplistic touch. Commissioning a local origami artist as a unique way to bring this vision to life, they transformed delicate paper into beautiful African-inspired sculptural objects. 

Tomás Karmelo Amaya

Native Love Stories

Born for the A:shiwi, Rarámuri, and Yoeme tribes, creative Tomás Karmelo Amaya’s ongoing series Native Love Stories illustrates the abundance of Indigenous circles, including love, service to others, community strength, and the ability to thrive.