Splashing Water Lighting question

[MyaLover]

So I will be shooting a model this weekend in a generally dark and dingy set. However, i want falling water or splashing water, like rain or puddles. Any suggestions on the best lighting set up to accurately highlight her and the individual drops of what? Drawings and/or diagrams are good

 

[Iron Flatline]

There is a recent post on Strobist about lighting close-ups of water drops. This is relevant in the sense that it discusses how water picks up and reflects light. What you are looking for a specular highlights of the water.

I would start by lighting the water from behind. Shoot slightly down, with a light behind your subject spreading wide and low. You will want to put something between your light source and the camera... a barn door (or gobo as some insist on calling it.) Think of it as a baseball cap for your light source.

Might be easier to do a stiletto splashing in a puddle than a whole person dancing in the rain.