It has been a dream ever since I started to enjoy the world of wetlook to become a wetlook producer. There are just a couple of bumps in the road right now. For one thing I live in the state of Maine, and there aren't a lot of pools that are open year round. I'm not sure I have enough money to rent a hotel's pool even if I were brave enough to ask. Secondly finding a model willing to do this can be a challenge as well. I wasn't expecting this to be easy. I was just wondering do any of the wetlook producers or people on this site have any advice for me?

I really hope Wamtec chimes in on this as he's a veritable fountain of knowledge on this!

I'm not going to lie, Maine seems like a hard place to do this. But maybe shower, bath, and hot tub scenes can help where and when you can't do a pool or the harbor. Speaking of, Iobster fishing wetlook might be something no one has ever done before!

I hope you can find the answers you're looking for!

Not a producer myself, but I'd start by finding a model that is comfortable with your script & ideas, i.e. a model that likes getting wet and feels natural doing so. After all, the model and her acting is alfa & omega

Perhaps just start with a smaller script e.g. involving a beach, a lake or a bathroom/bathtub. If you think of Erik Elsass, he's still doing all kinds of wetlook in all kinds of backgrounds, lakes, beaches and his private bathroom and he keeps finding new models, maybe because a female photographer is involved (his wife, not sure), so when filming with a little crew they can do so on beaches and lakes.

It will also help if you have a very clear idea of what you want to produce, that's just easier to convince anyone. If it's playful & funny and not offensive to anyone, it will be easier.

I'd focus on the filming and the acting and I'd minimize all fixed costs, settings and risks to begin with. As long as the lighting and the technical side of your videos are okay and the model is acting well, that hotel pool can wait

Oh and please make sure the model's working conditions (and pay) are pretty ok and always be open & honest about those conditions. Productions with models enjoying what they're doing are just so much more fun for us viewers

Just my 2 cents as a future customer of yours

I don't know what photography skill you already have so apologies if some of this is stuff you already know, but here's my generic advice to newbies to production:

To start out, shoot in natural locations, rather than going to the cost and complexity of hiring pools and the like. And absolute first rule, make sure the sun (or whatever light source you use) is above and behind you when shooting, so the light is shining on the model. While your eyes will make out detail if your model is back-lit (light behind them shining towards you), your camera won't, so all you'll get is a silhouette.

Shoot what you personally want to see, rather than trying to chase a market. That way even if nothing sells you'll be left with something you can enjoy.

Pay fair rates and make sure the models understand what you're shooting is fetish material, and have them sign proper model releases each shoot - there's a sample one in among the UMD T&C I think.

Are you going to supply the models' outfits, or do you expect them to provide their own? I provide everything my models wear including underwear and footwear, but then we shoot messy and mud as well as wetlook so there's a significant risk of the outfits getting wrecked - with just water you may find models willing to wear their own stuff though if so you should pay them more as they are taking more of the risk.

Make things as comfortable for your models as possible when changing, etc - you can buy portable changing tents, or set up a large windbreak to provide privacy. Or hire a van which they can change in the back of between scenes.

As well as model fees, pay your models' transport costs and also provide snacks and soft drinks throughout the day, and a decent evening meal (or add the cost of one to their fee if they're leaving as soon as the shoots are done) afterwards. Looks more professional and makes you someone they'll want to shoot with again.

Make sure you have decent cameras for both stills and video. You want at least an entry level DSLR for stills and/or at least a top end consumer camcorder for video. It doesn't matter how many megapixels a smartphone claims to have, when the lens is the size of a pinhead, the quality is never going to be what you get from decent gear. It's not necessary to spend thousands, and with digital gear second hand is often as good as new as long as it's not been used in harsh conditions, but proper cameras have much larger lenses that capture far more nuance and detail, which is really important for good wetlook.

If you do shoot anything with a phone, say as a second camera on a mini-tripod to capture a different angle to the main one, make sure you turn it horizontal, so the resulting footage is watchable on a standard screen.

Make sure you have plenty of light - bright outdoor sun (or at least "cloudy bright") or proper studio lights if shooting indoors. Photography (and video) is the art of light. Again, our eyes are amazing instruments that can pick detail out of almost any scene, cameras are nothing like as forgiving though, if you want people to be able to see the models' clothes getting wet, you need lots and lots of light on the scene.

Be willing to go right into the water with your models - ideally, go in first, go deep, and have them walk in towards you, that way a) they have the reassurance of knowing you're not asking them to do something you wouldn't do, and b) you'll get better footage of the wetting.

Make sure to frame shots properly - the "money shot" in a wetlook scene is the point where the model meets the water, so that *must* be in shot at all times. A common problem is where people think the model's head should be in the centre of the scene - head should be at the top so there's no wasted space above, and we can see more of them overall. And avoid zooming in, the camera should move as little as possible when rolling, let the model and the water do the moving.

Good luck!

Pretty much what DM1 said.

Model release: - https://umd.net/media/model_release.txt

For me it was actually rather simple, I already had some female friends that knew about my interest in wet clothes. They are quite comfortable with it, and sometimes even get their clothes wet on purpose because it makes me so happy. So when I suggested that perhaps they could earn some money if we made a small video together, they were already into the idea.

Then we shot a video, with my cellphone, in my shower, with their outfits. We put the video up here on UMD for sale, and after about a year, it sold often enough to receive a payout. None of us were sure what to expect in terms of sales or pay or anything, but it was a cool experience and they ended up making some money, and I ended up with a really cool video.

My point here is, that you don't need a lot to get started, all you need is a girl that wants to get her clothes wet and a camera to record it. It doesn't need to be super high quality and well produced, as long as it captures the wetlook. (And to substantiate this claim, I've had nothing but positive feedback buyers on the website.)