Wetlook World Forum

It's certainly valid to have the sun behind the model. To get the right exposure you use a incident light meter reading of the highlight areas, then set your fill to output 1 stop below that.

Failing that, if you use a modern digital camera they usually come with "auto fill in".

The biggest problem you can get is flare in the lens, which is difficult to control with some of the compact style cameras that don't have a proper lens hood. Most photographers use "flags" to prevent flare when shooting against strong light.

In addition I have often found that certain types of material (white polyester mainly) when wet, can actually reflect back so much light that it can create flare in the lens too and degrade the image.

Main problem you get is the re-cycle time of the flash unit, the small "on camera" ones can take several seconds and you can miss the shot.

We now use Multblitz studio units on location which can run from 12V batteries. These are full sized monoblocs with built in inverters- these are powered by 3x 135 amp hour leisure batteries.

They work great- except- they blow over when used with brollies in anything but the slightest breeze lol

The best techique for shooting wet clothes however is to have the sun striking the subject from the side and then using the fill to remove any shadows cast- this gives a wonderful "crisp" feel to the pics and really emphasises the shine of the wet clothing. However depending on the position of the sun when you are shooting, it isn't always possible to do this- so you need to adapt your technique to suit the conditions.