Billy Montana Images : Shooting with Water

Water can be so much fun to shoot. When you shoot a model in water, it is very challenging due to the elements. But, it can also be very rewarding. I love shooting models in water, because you can be very creative with light and color. You can shoot in the day or night. You can shoot in a pool, waterfall, Ocean or anywhere that water flows.

Most of the time I prefer to shoot in a pool, because it is a little more self contained and you can control the elements a little more. If you can plug in studio lighting, add smoke machines or fog, you can really create some amazing images.

Here is the latest shot I took in a pool. This was shot, in all places, an indoor hotel pool. I Used two strobes for this shot. One light bouncing off a reflector and the other light bound off of the ceiling. This is one of my favorite pool shots.

Ayana Supermodels Unlimited

The Camera I used for this photo was a Nikon D300s. I know there are more expensive and other Nikon Models that have higher resolution, but for the Photography I do, this is an incredible camera and my favorite to shoot with. I was also using a 55-300mm Nikon Nikkor DX Lens. I have to say this is my favorite lens for shooting models. The images are always super crisp and rarely do I get an out of focus image.

The one key element to taking a beautiful photo like this, is having a really good make up artist and someone who can help with the hair in the water. The Model in this shot was wearing a Jessie Couture Deep Blue Gown, with really colorful stones that complimented the water tone. That small strip of yellow behind the model was added in photo shop to emulate a late afternoon sun reflection.

The shot is being used for a Cover of Supermodels Unlimited Magazine. I am pretty excited to see this image in Print. I really enjoyed creating this shot, however, it was not a preplanned shot. I just was bored of shooting against plain backgrounds and when I walked by this indoor hotel pool, the lightbulb went off and I just decided to do the shot in the pool and now I am glad I did. A lot of my best images are not planned but just something I see on the spot. Always keep an open mind when shooting.