I believe that some of the simplest shots make the best impact. Why make it complicated!
When shooting a new assignment for Australian Penthouse® with another fabulous Penthouse® Pet Prinzzess SaharaI came up with a classic idea of getting a model wet and sexy having a fun time playing with water and a hose.
I set up a backdrop outside on my balcony so the water would run down off the balcony down a drain not into my studio space. Also, because I was shooting outside I could use some of the natural light, as it would be used as open shade which would act as a very large fill light. The main light was a Paul Buff (Alien Bee) ring light which I could plug it into the main power and keep it powered up quickly as to catch the best reactions from the model. When you deal with anything with water it can happen very quickly so you need to be ready not only yourself but your equipment. Make sure that the water is running away from you and your gear as water and electricity do not mix. Safety is paramount.
There is nothing more than a bad idea to have a model get wet with cold water as they will not react very well and you will see goose bumps on the skin. (Trust me on this one). Also, if it’s cold you have a very short time in which to shoot and who wants to be wet and cold. My trick here was to have the hose plunged into my kitchen faucet so I could regulate the temperature that way the model would not have cold water spraying on her but warm water. I could then have in this case the model gives me a lot more time working with the water spry. My backdrop was a yellow vinyl backdrop to give a nice punch to the shot & I also use a silver chair. This gave the model something to interact with not just the hose and water spry, she could sit, straddle or put her foot up on the chair for some of the shots we were looking for. The set was very successful and we got a lot of amazing shots.
