Flair Photography wrote:
Any helpful advice would be appreciated.

Big black trash bags & gaffer tape.

Flair Photography wrote:
The problem with those examples are that your light placements are not the same as where I'd like them.

I'm looking to do something like this here:
http://cache.sharenxs.com/thumbnails/mi … oot_05.jpg
http://cache.sharenxs.com/thumbnails/mi … oot_06.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-INRpMqskDR4/T … oot_01.jpg

So that means one light on either side of the model with the very real potential to have the water stream blow into one of, if not both, of the lights.  Thus my question about light covers.

Well I cant do anything about the sky, so forgive me on that one! lol On the other one, the beauty dish was the only light on hand, and a second one on the other side wouldn't have gotten wet either. Why do you assume this? The sprinkler consistently goes back and forth in the same arch, or freezes where you lock it...if the light isn't in it, it's not going to get wet. If wind is a problem, shoot away from it!

Flair Photography wrote:
The problem with those examples are that your light placements are not the same as where I'd like them.

I'm looking to do something like this here:
http://cache.sharenxs.com/thumbnails/mi … oot_05.jpg
http://cache.sharenxs.com/thumbnails/mi … oot_06.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-INRpMqskDR4/T … oot_01.jpg

So that means one light on either side of the model with the very real potential to have the water stream blow into one of, if not both, of the lights.  Thus my question about light covers.

this appears to have water possibly coming off a roof or overhang just on the other side of the model, because the amount of water behind her is huge compared to the water in front of her...again in this situation, the lights were probably under a roof or cover.

Flair Photography wrote:
.....my main concern is a gust of wind coming and blowing water into my lights. 

I'm mostly concerned with having whatever I put on or over my lights melting to my bulb and ruining my lights that way.

Also my lights are a pair of Photogenic PL1250 if that makes any difference.

Get some clear visqueen from a hardware store.  Cut off a piece about a square yard or so.  Drape it over the fixture so water can shed off.  This should be more than enough protection from stray spray.   Hold it in place with some clothespins or small clamps.  Leave a generous opening so that it can "breathe" and heat can vent out.   Take care not to block the vents on the strobe unit.  Leave the modeling lights off if possible.

Dash Revery wrote:
I recommend getting a white umbrella and shooting THROUGH it so that if the wind happens to send water towards your lights, they've got an umbrella!

Oh! Now that's clever.

Marty McBride wrote:
Ok here are two shots. The one in the street is an oldie and was shot in the rain with me standing under an overhang. It was natural light.




This second one was shot using a yard sprinkler, and I framed her against dark trees in the background to make the water pop. The light was fitted with my 22" beauty dish, and was never in danger of getting wet.

Awesome photos!!

Kaouthia wrote:
Big black trash bags & gaffer tape.

Nothing better than the smell of melting plastic...

Dash Revery wrote:
Nothing better than the smell of melting plastic...

Indeed

Although, if it's raining, it's probably fairly cool out, so chances are the flashes aren't going to get too hot.  If they're not plugged into mains power, they're not going to have modelling lights on (and I've yet to find a flash that wouldn't let you turn them off anyway).

Usually if I've used flash outdoors and it's been raining, I've got a big octabox or something on the light, so I gaffer tape the trash bags around that, and let them hang over the flash & top of the light stand.  Hard light and rain doesn't tend to look that natural.

Then I'll just carry the whole assembly under cover when I'm done to remove the trash bags and pack the light away.  Never had any issues with water getting to the flash.

You could also use a couple of light stands with clamps on them to attach a bunch of panels (you'll want to weigh them down if it's a bit windy) to make your own shelter around the back/sides/top of the light that isn't physically touching it but blocks the rain from blowing in.  No different to hanging a bunch of flags to prevent light spill really.

Flair Photography wrote:
I'm looking to do something like this here:
http://cache.sharenxs.com/thumbnails/mi … oot_05.jpg
http://cache.sharenxs.com/thumbnails/mi … oot_06.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-INRpMqskDR4/T … oot_01.jpg

The examples you linked appear to be a studio shoot with  a drop in Back Ground.
This is the way to go to resolve your concerns with wind. As the environment can be fully controlled by you

Yet a sprinkler won’t cut the rain drop effect you seek.  You would need to use or construct rain tubes with the proper orifices opening s and develop an  over head array of the tubes to allow you to  develop a rain effect and also provide   sizeable droplets or rain streams  that record well  with the image 
I developed a system using construction grout tubes which provide for good droplet  effects .

The rain tubes are the equipment often used for movie or video  productions shot around NYC locations with a water supply piping  for  the  rain tubes connected  to a municipal hydrant

Flair Photography wrote:
I'm looking to do a shoot with a garden sprinkler in order to simulate rain but my main concern is a gust of wind coming and blowing water into my lights. 

Normally if it was a camera I was worried about I would just cover it with a trash bag and poke a hole in it for the lens to go through but I can't really do that with my lights.  I'm mostly concerned with having whatever I put on or over my lights melting to my bulb and ruining my lights that way.

Any helpful advice would be appreciated.

Also my lights are a pair of Photogenic PL1250 if that makes any difference.

Thanks

You might do some tests to see what your results are. I like the wet look and do it often. A yard sprinkler makes very small drops and sometimes you cannot see them well. I use a garden sprayer set to coarse spray and have an assistant on a ladder nearby but out of frame spray the water. Doing it this way you can control where the water goes and avoid the lights. If no assistant is aroind you can duct taoe the hose to a light stand or ladder and achieve the same control.

This was done with a hose held by me.

Dash Revery wrote:
The photographer who took these is John Wright. Check out Video #4 on his website: http://www.johnwrightphoto.com

+1

Also not sure a garden sprinkler will give you the desired effect you want.

The image below was all photoshop. I am not saying you should go that route but you may want to enhance the "rain" that you do get with "photoshop rain"

https://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/27905761

Tim Summa wrote:
God, I feel so vary old some times!

Seal/Bienfang Framing
A Division of Elmer's Products. inc.
www.forframersonly.com

Product:
#259622150 Release Paper 2 - side - coat - 26" X 60'

In the dark and dank ages of early photography the photon junkies would put their prints up on display, they would sell said art objects. The way to show this was to dry mount your print on an over sized sheet of card stock. To 'mount' these prints to  the board you would use a piece of heat responsive tissue that would melt and so bond the print to the board.

This was a great way to mount prints BUT it had a huge problem...the excess tissue let by some duffus would melt and bond to that big huge heavy hot plate on the top. Vary hot- hot plate. To save all of us from this desaster there came a thin tissue/plastic that was named by the Seal Co, "Seal release tissue". That is what you see above, it don't melt and it is a diffused plastic.

You don't have to buy an entire roll, nor settle for the diffused serface, you do need to contact a theater supplier who carries Rosco products. You are looking for a product like 'Tough Frost' or one of the other several plastic products that Rosco,Appolo and others make to sell in rolls. This is best gotten through suppliers that provide to eith the theater or to the video/film industry. You buy it in rolls and it works great.

Hope that helps.

ummm this has nothing to do with shooting in the rain.  what thread were you trying to post in?

Dash Revery wrote:
I recommend getting a white umbrella and shooting THROUGH it so that if the wind happens to send water towards your lights, they've got an umbrella!

I bought a couple of cheap 42" brolly boxes for rainy days.  The light's inside and protected.  Works well.

EDIT:  The front diffusion screens can be removed, too.

AVD AlphaDuctions wrote:
As others have mentioned, speedlights are relatively bomb-proof.

Flash and water are vary much like alchol and a loaded gun.

Flash and water do not mix well. The flash equipnment must always be keept from contatc with moisture. People have been killed before when water comes in direct contact with flash and the peson is in line with the live discharging capasators. Any one using flash equipnment should be aware of this hazard.

AVD AlphaDuctions wrote:
As others have mentioned, speedlights are relatively bomb-proof.  I put ziplock bags over them and let the rain roll off.  I could use the inexpensive studio strobes and use larger freezer bags over them but speedlights are so much easier and require no AC cord.

This!

Tim Summa wrote:

Flash and water are vary much like alchol and a loaded gun.

Flash and water do not mix well. The flash equipnment must always be keept from contatc with moisture. People have been killed before when water comes in direct contact with flash and the peson is in line with the live discharging capasators. Any one using flash equipnment should be aware of this hazard.

dude did you bother to read the entire post before copy/pasting a tiny bit of it?  like the bit about covering the speedlight????  we are not talking about dropping a flash in the lake then holding it while triggering the flash ffs.  plz leave the fearmongering at home. yes there is a hazard but you really have to work hard to get there.  the essential risk from a speedlight protected by plastic is that a few drops of moisture get in and ruin the receiver and even that is a long shot.  nobody is going to be putting their hand under the bag to hold the speedlight while triggering it.