Help! Need tips for first group photo assignment!

[smpimages]

With a large group you will get some looking away, blinking, sneezing etc. What I like to do is take 3 or 4 pictures in rapid succession and surely one will be good without someone blinking or looking away.

[mdwsta4]

aside from taking multiple pictures for that 'one' winner, i'd suggest using at least two flashes if it's a large group (positioned at 4 and 8 o'clock or so) because if you're shooting in shaded trees and the shade is not consistent you'll have some people's faces in mostly shade, others in sunlight or if the foliage of the trees is thin you'll have patchs of light. umbrellas would create a softer light and throw the light out more to cover a larger crowd. to create more depth you could use another flash pointed at a background tree(s).

out of your lenses i'd probably use the 50 because it's arguably the sharpest in your group.

when you talk to the family, you may want to make sure they're not banking on your photo to be THE photo to remember some huge event. if it doesn't turn out like they expected they'll be crushed.

[RobPlahn]

I'm still way to new at this to give much helpful advice, but I'm finding myself in similar situations and I'm anxious to hear how it turns out for you. I really liked what someone said about going in their confident. If taking money makes you more nervous or erodes your confidence, I'd wait until you deliver the photos or after the shoot to discuss or accept payment. Confidence is key when directing groups of people, and the group will be able to relax with you in control.

I do have one photo tip for you. Actually it's from this forum. Earlier I was reading the Quintuplets Car Wash post and found a great gem called Group Shots. I haven't tried it yet, but it’s a free tool that will create a composite from multiple shots. Setup on the tripod, shoot several continuous shots each time your ready, then later if one of the kids looks away or someone blinks, you can use the composite to solve the problem. Like I said, I haven't tried it but I can't wait to see the results. You can read the post at Quintuplets Car Wash.

Good luck on the shoot! Can’t wait to hear and see how it turned out.

[tigerlily]

TNBDM -
This sounds like a great opportunity, and an awesome place to take some really beautiful posed and candid shots.

It would be nice if you could talk them into going earlier in the day (which would work soooo much better for kids under 4, as well as better for your exposure.) Seriously, little kids are going to be ready for a nap around midday, and won't be very tolerant. It's likely to be somewhat frustrating for all of you.
If changing the time isn't possible, you might consider creating very "casual" portraits, almost candids in the sense that they are positioned or placed, but then taking shots where they're simply interacting with eachother or the surroundings, and not necessarily looking directly at the camera. (I think this looks great with parents and kids, or kids together, in particular.) I'm not sure if this will work for you, but being flexible and taking whatever opportunities present themselves (and keeping a sense of humor) will, I think, help tremendously in making this shoot successful.
Good luck! Please post your results - I'd love to see what you come up with!

[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.

[Angela]

So how did the shoot go???????