Photographer and videographer Takashi Kamei, known for his strong and graphical imagery in advertising, magazines, and music, crafts vivid and dynamic imagery. With the release of the Profoto Soft Zoom Reflector, Shooting Mag captures a rare glimpse into Takashi Kamei’s artistic process and his use of the new light shaping tool with the Profoto Pro-11 and Profoto B10X. His recent studio work, a testament to the versatility of light shaping, beautifully explores hard and soft light to craft conceptual high-fashion imagery.
Coat / ablankpage. (@ablankpage._official) Ear hooks, earrings, rings / NOBORU SHIONOYA
Fashion inspired; conceptually driven
When Takashi Kamei attended fashion university years ago, his passion and desire for photography grew stronger which led to a career in fashion photography. Convinced of the strong and powerful impact that clothes have on his imagery, he understood the importance of light to create impactful fashion portraits. With the Soft Zoom Reflector, he found the perfect tool to accentuate both the model and the attire in the most flattering way.
In order to create a three-dimensional effect of the costume picked by stylist YOSHI, Kamei knew the quality of light could change considerably depending on the distance between the light emitting part and the reflective surface of the Soft Zoom Reflector. Adjusting the robust zoom rod, adding a diffuser or grid, he was able to change the light diffusion or illuminate hard light to create many variations and transform the scene.
First impressions
Despite the considerable size of the light shaping tool, Kamei easily and quickly assembled it within no time, thanks to its user-intuitive design.
“For this shoot, I was conscious of focused light and sharp light, but I think the range of light applications that can be created with a single light modifier is the widest in the history of Profoto, including using a diffuser to create soft light and diffused light.”
Waves of light
While using the Soft Zoom Reflector, Kamei tried to incorporate instantaneous light or a combination of continuous light and flash to create a "moment" or "flow of time" into a single image.
Placing the light modifier with the Profoto Pro-Head camera left as the main light and interactively positioning the Profoto B10X Plus throughout the background,Kamei was able to create a light wave. Moving the sturdy Zoom Rod with confidence, he was able to shift to a harsher light and strong shadows in order to bring out the unique features of the clothing design. With the model illuminated by the main light and the diffuser removed from the light shaping tool, Kamei set the shutter speed to 5 seconds. Adjusting both the light intensity and color temperature, his assistant’s handheld B10X Plus’s in the background to create unique and beautiful waves of light like a stroke of white paint.
Dress/ablankpage. (@ablankpage._official) Earrings, ring/NOBORU SHIONOYA
Illuminating complex shapes
By using one large light source, Takashi Kamei shifts and moves the Pro-11 and light shaping tool to highlight the different angles and complexity of lines that tangle around the model’s features.
“I placed a Soft Zoom Reflector directly in front of the subject and aimed it directly in front to highlight the texture of the model’s skin, hair and makeup.” In order to accentuate the sense of depth the black cable-like costume displays and separating the subject from the dim lit background, Kamei shined two lights from the right and left of each frame.
Dress/ablankpage. (@ablankpage._official) Earrings, ring/NOBORU SHIONOYA
Adding visual interest with movement and color, Kamei explains, “I wanted to add nuance to the black tape while shining the light directly onto the costume." By attaching a red gel to each B10X Plus and using the lights' continuous mode from left to right, the model’s costume and hair are beautifully feathered in red. To add some dimension to the background, Kamei placed the Soft Zoom Reflector, and to introduce movement into the frame, he asked the model for a quick jump.
Coats, dresses/ablankpage. (@ablankpage._official) Necklaces, earrings, rings/NOBORU SHIONOYA
Reflective trails
Paying close attention to the silhouette and shooting angles, the fashion photographer looks to achieve a balance between hair, clothes, background and lighting in order create visuals that have an impact.
For his shoot concept, he wanted to enhance the visual effects and use a popular lighting technique to make his images pop. Firstly, in order to build a nice contrast and texture of the outfit's reflective material, a grid was placed on the Soft Zoom Reflector to direct and control the focus of light. Then, he attach a blue filter to the B10X Plus and illuminated the subject from the right side. "By using a slow shutter, the light trails become an accent”, explains Kamei.
For the last close-up shot, Kamei wanted to add a beautiful glow to the model’s skin, so he attached the diffuser to the Soft Zoom Reflector to illuminate a large area. The angle of the light casts a soft but harsh shadow along the camera's right side of the subject's face, while adding a nice contrast and highlighting the texture of the material.
Lasting thoughts
Lighting is a part of every photographers’ DNA and we should continuously experiment with it. As new equipment and technology changes, Kamei thinks about lighting every day – how to use it in new ways and how to express himself as an image creator. Grateful for his experience to use the Soft Zoom Reflector in multiple ways at his creative shoot, Kamei concludes, “It's fun to test what you've imagined in your head and see it come to fruition during actual shooting.”
Creative team:
Photographer: Takashi Kamei @takashi__kamei
Stylist: YOSHI MIYAMASU (SIGNO)
Hair: Kunio Khozaki (W)
Makeup: Ebara (W)
Retouch: Ryota Kamimura (IINO GRAPHIC IMAGES)
Model: Masha Chubenko (DONNA)
Interview: Daisaku Sakata (SHOOTING Editor-in-Chief)
BTS Photo: Jun Tanikawa
Excerpt from the web magazine SHOOTING interview article.
