[MtnTopRebel]

I have done many hundreds of groups in the past, most done indoors with lots of flash power and film, however here's my 2 bits. Several years ago I did a horse show, it was my first job with my new at the time Canon 10D digital slr. The week before the weather was bad I shot film and it was a pain.. when the 10d came in I had little time to experiment. The weather was hot, and and the horse show organizers told the judges and participants to do their events in the shade the grandstands. Now with film I would have been dead, but with the digital much to my happy surprise, the digital provided the contrast and tones that I wouldn't be able to get with film. The result was good skin-tone, contrast and the elimination of heavy shadows around the eyes common of the shooting in the sun. OK so now we come to the groups. I would select an area out of the direct sun, If you want some light into the area, go get a 4x8 sheet of foil back foam board from your build supply store, cut it in half, and tape it back together with duct tape so it will fold and open, and use it as a reflector to push in some light. (for your own satisfaction) take some family or friends and go scope out the shooting site and practice on them to see what you get. Check the pictograph image to see if the exposure is correct. If your camera doesn't show the pictograph download a free copy of XnView (google search for it...) it will show your exposure info. Shoot some variations, go home view them and print some 8x10's and inspect them for best results.
Now grouping.... If this is a family reunion type group, you have several issues to contend with. Usually grand parents are seated first and center, and their descendants are grouped around them. Children are a mixed bag, often they can be seated (small babies are usually held by the parents), or even sat on the grass or ground . But that depends on the ground around them. Attempt to group each family by size and age with the taller ones to the back and stagger them so each row is offset of the person in front of them so that all parties can be clearly seen. Oh, also watch for background material that distracts from the shot... for example small trees that appear to pop out of the head of the person in front of them etc.
Proportions... If you are going to offer 8x10s try to build the group so that it fills the 8x10 in proportions or if 5x7 a longer narrower proportion but fill the group as full as you can so it isn't a long narrow string of people.
Lastly Might I suggest a sign about 18x24 neatly done with about 1 inch letters naming the family(ies) where and the date. I would also consider printing a list of people on your computer by rows and description on an additional paper you deliver with your prints so that in the future, people will be able to identify who is where.
Hope this helps, enjoy the shoot.