It is interesting that the flickr EXIF data says,"Flash did not fire." Maybe PS Elements affected it. Just looking at the image, it is very difficult to tell who is illuminated best by the flash and by the photofloods. Because of the slow shutter speed, I suspect the floods did the lion's share of the lighting via general room illumination. If you cannot remove your flash from the hotshoe, can the head be rotated so that it is facing backwards towards the line where the back wall and ceiling meet? If it is powerful enough, that may help even the lighting. Just a thought. Even if you came out with the same lighting for your Christmas shot as you did here, you can still lighten the faces on the back row using the "dodge tool"- I assume PS Elements has that tool?
Group Shot is a great tool but as you mentioned, it can create some interesting anatomical creations when subjects move too much between shots. Test your lighting beforehand Take plenty of shots and ask the participants to try to remain as still as possible. I look forward to seeing your results!
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Sincerely,
Lee -clockdoc-
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