On set with Yu Tsai and Profoto D30
Verfasst von: Shannon Sharpe
Capturing flawless shots on tight schedules demands precision and adaptable lighting. Fashion and celebrity photographer, Yu Tsai, will walk you through how having compact and flexible lights like the Profoto D30 make it easy to focus on capturing the perfect image in every frame.
Renowned photographer Yu Tsai considers himself, first and foremost, a storyteller. “My job is to create a narrative, but I need to do this very quickly,” he says. Case in point, his recent autumn-themed fashion shoot, in which he had to get four shots in a very short amount of – not to mention the additional challenge of quickly moving through the studio and continuing on to shoot outside.
Photo: Trever Swearingen
Like so many other freelance photographers, the hustle of capturing a certain mood and telling a story through images and then moving on to the next shoot is exciting. But this can’t be done without the right equipment. “With time constraints, it’s so important to have reliable lighting,” Yu Tsai explains. “So, I can tell the story in one minute.” This is why he turned to the new Profoto D30, a mains-powered monolight which, thanks to its fast-recycling time, bi-colored LED modeling light, three flash modes* and its ability to work with a multitude of Profoto modifiers, offers endless creative options.
Photo: Trever Swearingen
Change of season
As the seasons shift and change, “The goal was to capture the model in a very fall warm light,” Yu Tsai says of the shoot’s concept. “At the same time, I wanted it to be very cinematic.” This is where the technical prowess of the D30 came into play, along with a mix of modifiers including Profoto gels, Softboxes and Reflectors. “We were able to play with the light,” Yu Tsai notes. “We had the flexibility to create both softer and harsher light.”
Photo: Yu Tsai
Photo: Trever Swearingen
Rising above
“I wanted the model to feel elevated and lifted in the first shot,” Yu Tsai says. Working with multiple Profoto D30s, he then incorporated a Softlight Reflector, Softbox Octa and two Softbox Rectangulars. “There’s a back light that hugs her,” Yu Tsai muses of the photo. “But it’s not a hard back light. It falls off her, so she feels majestic and rising. We feel a connection with her.”
To create that type of connection, dependable lighting is necessary. “You can't bring out the best of a person if you are struggling to achieve what you want to capture,” Yu Tsai says. “Ease is very important to me. If your lighting is complicated or if your equipment is causing issues or if there’s any sort of technical struggle, how can I make my talent feel at ease?”
Photo: Trever Swearingen
Poetry in motion
“With fashion editorial shoots, I love using various lighting techniques to tell the story,” Yu Tsai says. “So, I need to move fast.” In the second photo he wanted to capture the model as she softly waved a single flower in the air. “I need my light to help me capture an unexpected moment in a shot like this,” says Yu Tsai, who used multiple D30s for their fast-recycling time, as well as a Softbox Octa, two Softbox Rectangular and a red gel on a Frensel Small. “You look at this beautiful red cast across her face, the orange color coming from behind and the fall off of the deep shadow. That's a complete picture. The experience he explains was like watching a ballet. “The model was dancing with the flower, and the lighting was the music to that dance.”
Photo: Yu Tsai
Quiet illumination
The conscience restraint of the shoot’s final image, in which the soft folds of muslin serve as a gentle backdrop, is a deft play with lighting choices. “At first glance of the fourth image, you ask yourself, ‘where’s the light?,” muses Yu Tsai. “But light doesn’t have to scream for an image to be beautiful.” Instead of using the D30 as the main source of lighting, he used it and two Softboxes to complement the natural light.
Photo: Trever Swearingen
Photo: Trever Swearingen
“Instead of using a lot of light, we simply shaped her with the D30s. It's like a carving a statue with illumination, you are making and molding the light to capture your subject.”
Photo: Yu Tsai
Ultimate flexibility
“To achieve several different lighting set ups during a limited amount of time, I need to be flexible and so do my lights” says Yu Tsai, who backlit a sheet of silk with two Softboxes and used a Softlight reflector with a grid as the key light to create a moody, soft image with the D30s.
Photo: Yu Tsai
Photo: Trever Swearingen
“Because it is small and compact, the D30 is perfect for multiple lighting changes,” he notes. “And its adaptability with all the Profoto modifiers makes me very happy. No matter how complicated I may want the lighting to be, this compatibility makes the process simple and executable.”
Photo: Trever Swearingen
On the move
Celebrity and portrait photographers such as Yu Tsai are never sitting still. Whether moving from location to location throughout the day, shifting from portraits and different sets or needing shifting types of lighting, the D30 adapts to any scenario to tell the story and capture emotion in every frame.
Photo: Yu Tsai
To see more of Yu Tsai’s work and learn about his lighting setups, visit his Share the Light profile.
Photographer: Yu Tsai
Talent: Anna Y
Producer: Trever Swearingen
DP: GC DeCastro
Camera Assistant: Tony Toka
Casting Director: Alex Torres
Hair and MU Artist: Amy Chin
Photo Assistants:
Danya Morrison
Peter Phan
Jack Morris
Digital Tech: Luis Jaime
Production Assistant: Akeem Glenn
Studio: Quixote Studios