Settings for Large Group Shot

[JoanieA]

I am going to be taking pictures of a group of about 20. It's supposed to be sunny, but we will be in the shade of a barn in the evening. Does anyone have any suggestions for the best settings, especially aperture?? A lot of the family shots I have taken turn out less sharp than I would like and I'm wondering how to get a nice sharp image of this many people. What's the best place to meter?? I'm thinking someone's face, is that best? And where exactly should my focal point be? I'm guessing right in the middle as long as the aperture is set right. Any other suggestions would be great.

[SusanH1970]

What camera and lenses do you have?

[JoanieA]

I have a Nikon D5000 and will also have a D90 I can use. I plan on just using my 35 mm or my friend's 50 mm lenses.

[Murtasma]

Online Depth of Field Calculator

This will tell you where to focus and what apature to use.

[easyrider]

35mm will be doable. 50mm is unlikely,

You are going to have a nice big group. You're going to want to be higher than them by at least a little.

Depending on the time of day and the amount of light that is in the shade, try and shoot around f5.6 or f8 and point your focus near the front. Maybe the second row if you have four rows.

[Lizabeta]

Originally Posted by Murtasma

Online Depth of Field Calculator

This will tell you where to focus and what apature to use.

WOW! I LOVE that! .... I wonder if there is an ipod app for something like that! All those formulas are so hard to keep in mind in the middle of stuff...

[RecurrentNerve]

There are currently 13 such apps on the App Store!

[BigFuzzy]

Originally Posted by RecurrentNerve

There are currently 13 such apps on the App Store!

I have iDoF Calc and it's very basic and works perfectly well for these sorts of questions... AND.. it's free.
Enjoy