Managing Great Group Shots During The Wedding Shoot

December 6, 2009 freebee Comments off

Taking successful group shots is a challenging issue facing all wedding photographers. Ideally, the weather is nice enough to take the group outside so you can eliminate any problems of space. If it is a bright sunny day, you really need to get everyone into open shade- such as under trees, or the shadow cast by a nearby building. The objective with groups shots is that everyone is evenly lit by daylight. The last thing you want is for your audience to be squinting because of the sun in their face, or some members in shad and some not.

In certain locations you will findthat there is no open shade available so position yourself and your crowd sideways to the sun or shoot into the sun as a last resort. The easiest outdoor group shots happen when the sky is cloudy.
It can be trickier taking group shots indoors. First you have to find a good amount of space to fit everyone and you’ll normally be faced with the situation of having to provide extra light. If you find the ambient light is poor use your portable flash units off camera into umbrellas.

Two of these can work magic, and you might want to use a silver umbrella for maximum light output. To achieve the best spread of light place your umbrellas high on either side of the group and aim them into the middle row of your group (not the front). If you only have one umbrella the best thing to do is place this above and behind from your shooting position. One speedlite firing into a 100cm umbrella on full power can handle a group of 15-20 people indoors.

A trick you might want to try is to start everyone off with their eyes closed and tell them to open on the count of 3. At the moment you shout “open” keep your finger on the shutter for 4-5 continuous shots just to be sure. Before taking your picture it is also worth spending 10seconds quickly scanning the group to make sure you can see all faces without obstruction. Remind them that if they can’t see you the camera will not see the them. What you have to remember also is to position yourself as the photographer in a good vantage point. The photographer will either need to step up on a chair or ladder or arrange the crowd up a staircase to bring all faces into view.

Your final concern for group shots is making sure you achieve a good focus point. As your group will likely consist of numerous rows of people you’re immediately going to need an aperture of F8 or F11 (which also means you get the sharpest quality from your lens incidentally).

As the bride and groom are going to be front row, focus on their eyes. Remember that focus extends further back into the frame than in front, so by focussing on the front rowyour chosen aperture will ensure everyone remains in focus.
This article is copyright of Visualsnap.co.uk Kent wedding photographer Established and reputable Wedding photographers Kent

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