Getting
Great Group Photos
Holidays and summer are popular times
for family reunions, which means you'll want to capture these
special occasions with your camera. Here are a few tips to help
you corral the gang and get some really great group photos.
Scout your location in advance.
Find the best spot and make sure there is enough room for
everyone. If you are shooting indoors and need to move furniture
around, do it before hand. If there are large reflective surfaces
like glass tables, remove them to avoid glare. For a large
group, staggering people down a staircase can work well to
fit everyone in your viewfinder.
Technical Stuff
Use your fill flash to fill in shadows on faces (for indoor
as well as outdoor shots) and if shooting indoors, set your
white balance for the appropriate type of indoor lighting.
Let in as much sunlight as you can for improved exposure during
the day. Use the redeye function on your camera if you have
low light indoors.
Composition
Put tall people in the back, shorter people and children in
the front. Get your group as close together as possible to
make sure you have everyone in the frame.
Timing is Everything
Grab people shortly after arrival when they are looking their
best and before they've all gone off in different directions
and you feel like you're herding cats. Another good time is
right before a meal, when people are hungry and beginning
to gather. It should only take about five minutes to get three
or four good shots.
Make it Fun
Get people pumped. Enlist the kids to help gather people.
They like to feel involved. Offer to take a photo with other
people's cameras. You can gather cameras in advance and take
a shot with each camera. Be sure to tell people you'll share
your group photos with them by e-mail. If you have a computer
handy, you can even upload and e-mail the photos on the spot.
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