5 Tips to Photograph a Large Group
The school year’s end is one of a photographer’s busiest times. Prom pictures, graduation shots, and senior portraits are needed by parents and teachers alike. This is a busy time of year and a great way to connect with people in your community. Even if you’re not officially hired, you can practice your skills at these events as a friend or parent and offer your professional talents to friends and coworkers. In this article I will share 5 tips for best results for these kinds of group images.
Location
A simple, distraction-free backdrop is important to make your subjects shine. This can be a local park, the beach, or your backyard. Keep distracting items like trashcans, street signs, or strangers out of your composition. The sample pictures in this article were taken on the bluffs in scenic Palos Verdes Estates, California. While shooting with the ocean in the background offered zero distraction, I had to carefully monitor for random pedestrians and cars when turning the other way. Both can be distracting and I chose to only include some in the following images when they belonged to the girls in the image or offered some kind of important context.
One of the young ladies arrived in her car, which is very important to her, and so I included this image in the final picture gallery.
If you can’t avoid including distracting items like cars parked at the side of the road, shoot wide open (f/2.8 or wider) to direct the viewer’s eye to the main subject.
All eyes on you
During any kind of event you’re most likely not the only photographer. Parents will raise their phones and other photographers might be shooting the same event. Talk to the members of your group and make sure they keep eye contact with your lens. Be kind and wait your turn if another photographer wants to take the same shot.
Look at the difference between the image on the left where the young lady on the left looks at her parent, while in the picture on the right all eyes are on my camera.
Poses
Young people are typically very used to being in front of a camera yet they are often equally as shy as the older generation when it comes to being photographed by a professional photographer. Build a connection before you start shooting by asking for their names and talking about poses that they like. Some might have Pinterest boards and looking at those for inspiration can be a nice ice-breaker. Once you have established that connection, start shooting and keep talking. Compliment them when things go right and tell them exactly how to pose arms, hand and legs. Show them what you have in mind on your phone and go through each pose step by step. In my experience young people learn quickly and soon they come up with their own ideas. The more engaging you make this stage of the photo shoot, the more willing your models will be to work with you.
From couple to group shots, there are many ways to switch things up. Make sure your subjects are having fun and feel motivated while you take their pictures.
Keep them moving
After you have captured the formal group shots ask your group to dance, walk, or even sing. This is a great time to see them interact and capture genuine smiles. Make sure your shutterspeed is fast enough at all times to keep up with the movement. Especially when working with long lenses (e.g. 70-200mm) you will need to increase your ISO for tack sharp images. Don’t forget to turn on automatic face-tracking and high speed continous mode.
Joyful expressions and dance moves are fun for models and photographers alike.
Details matter
Lastly, it’s time to pay attention to the details of the event like flowers, shoes and other things that are meaningful for this special time. While your main focus of course should be on the people, it is always nice to have some corresponding detail shots to tell the story of the day in pictures.
This group chose to go with matching shoes. Instead of uncomfortable high heels, even the girls decided for trendy Converse and Doc Martens.
Are you planning to shoot a school event or party soon? I hope you find these tips helpful and leave a comment. Let me know me if you have more questions or feel free to share about your own experience as a group photographer.
This blog post is part of a blog circle. Next in our group of talented photographers is Michele. Her Twin Cities family photography business offers a family membership program. Such an interesting idea, especially for families with young children.