I love these shots, I'm going to be shooting my first wedding soon and I love how you composed the group shots especially 7, 9, 10, and 14. Thanks for posting, they give me some great ideas about what can be done other than the typical "tall in the back, short in the front" stuffy posed look!
Guys, great ideas, all of them. I'm about to shoot a marine wedding - half the groomsmen in dress uniform. How do you work with that without it feeling stuffy? They're not going to do the coat-over-the-shoulder look or anything else like that -- it would be disrespecting the uniform. Any other ideas?
Great topic. Hate that "pee pee" line of men you have. Pockets or just hanging down their side is much better than a row of men with their hands over their crotch.
I know, this shot isn't fair as it's not a "formal" - but I gotta challenge the notion that you even need an all men "formal" shot at the church.
This is at "the church" -- but is more interesting that just standing in a line.
Ok....here is "men in a line". It's better than the pee-pee pose. It's still nothing any of them will want to see again or order.
The old "get them walking toward ya" -- I know, this can't be done at the church, but I'm sayin "don't bother getting men in a line at the church".
Here are just a few of my favorites!
I like to put Best Man next to Groom in most shots. Sometimes I will do it by height. I try to vary each pose as far as the hands go, maybe start hand over wrist, hands by side, hands in pocket etc... It's a fast transition to have them move just there hands anyways. I find a lot of times the guys are actually not to afraid to be touchy feeley with each and that makes for some great laid back shots. I usually just see how they interact with each other and go from there. It definitely depends on the people, I have been fortunate and mostly shot weddings for really laid back couples.
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6-Terrible lighting in this shot I know and I hate the chair on the left of the picture, but love the guys pose.
this is a great thread, surprised I missed it for do long. With the exception of the family shots (I want to get them over with as fast as possible) I like to stay away from the normal straight lined shots when I do the groups.
I don't often get formal photos that I just love, but this one was different. We were at a war memorial in Munster, IN, and in PP I grunged the photo up a bunch for the perfect look, and just love how this came out:
I love that set up Shima...but it looks like it's slanted ever so slightly to the left... I think that happens when you use a really wide angle. The roof looks straight, but the ground doesn't.
Oh yeah, thanks for bringing this up again. I had such a hard time getting ideas for the guys on the spot... the girls at the wedding were just great and I had plenty of ideas, but the guys were much less adventurous and creative. I didn't have any idea what to do when it came to the shot with the bride and the guys.
Here's a few:
1. I also have one of them just smiling, but this was too funny:
2. An old standard:
3. Variation on "dudes in a line" (Yeah, I know - fig leaves and I cut off feet - first wedding, won't happen again )
4. She suggested that they blow her a kiss... which was really cute except I kinda missed the shot because it was so quick and spontaneous, and I had the 70-200 and was just too close and in the wrong spot to get it all in.
5. I don't even know how this happened - the girls just started dancing around the groom and I said "Nick! You have six women dancing on you!" and he looked up at me and smiled. What a cutie.
One thing about formals that I don't like is that while you have all the components there, you lose some of the emotion and joy of the occasion because everyone seems so stiff from being posed. And large wedding partys can be difficult. I'm by no means a wedding photographer, but I shot my friend's wedding as a favor and here are few that we tried. I moved people around a bit as far as positioning in the frame, but tried not to give them much direction about where exactly to place their hands, etc but just how they felt most comfortable.
1.
2. Just messing around. The lighting is terrible and there is a lot technically wrong with this photo, but I really like the fun in it.
I love that set up Shima...but it looks like it's slanted ever so slightly to the left... I think that happens when you use a really wide angle. The roof looks straight, but the ground doesn't.
I shot the photo with the 35L, so I don't think the lens is distorting it. Not sure what is at fault for the top being straight and the ground not, most bizarre!
The first thing that strikes me is that there is a lot of wasted space around your groups. I would recommend tightening up a little on the cropping. Look at the samples posted I think you'll see what I mean. Also don't bunch them up too tightly. Spread your groupls to fill the format the best.
This shot was taken with one flash on camera bracket, w/barebulb diffuser. Camera exposure set to background and flash set for fill. Color is a little off because I copied the file from my laptop.
The first thing that strikes me is that there is a lot of wasted space around your groups. I would recommend tightening up a little on the cropping.
I used to crop groupings tight, too, until I had that first mother in law that was aghast to find she couldn't order an 8x10 without losing the people on the ends deal
I used to crop groupings tight, too, until I had that first mother in law that was aghast to find she couldn't order an 8x10 without losing the people on the ends deal
And framing and mounting have got to be a consideration as well.
Haveing been around for awhile I automatically crop everything to 4x5, 8x10. I don't see things in 4x6. I really miss my old 6x4.5 When I send out wedding files everything is already cropped to 4x5 that way I don't have any explaining to do later. But, even if those samples were made for 4x6 there was still a lot of excess space. This was the most significant reason for me to buy the D700 with full frame sensor. More accuracy in framing and cropping. Why throw away 1/3 of the pixels you paid so much for?
I don't often get formal photos that I just love, but this one was different. We were at a war memorial in Munster, IN, and in PP I grunged the photo up a bunch for the perfect look, and just love how this came out:
Nice use of location! This might be one of my favorite group shots ever. The bride and groom looking at each other. The somberness (word?) of the other facial expressions brings the location out that much more. The little guy up front looks like he is really ready to protect everyone if needed. Nice effect, all of it. Great that you had a willing party for this shot. I see the ground slope being different from the roof, but my first thought is the age of the memorial. It looks like the ground/floor are sloped and you have a level roof.
Edit: this may sound a little goofy, but the symbolic nature of this photo is pretty cool. Like they are saying, we won't let this war stop us from living!
Men's hands - if they aren't doing something with their hands, hid one of them. The "fig leave position" is something I strive to eliminate but am not always successful.
Hands in pockets - sometimes, but only one. If the hand is in the pocket, the jacket is open and tucked behind the arm. Or, the jacket is over the other shoulder.
Lighting the indoor portraits - I try to use a pair of Sunpak 622 strobes behind shoot through umbrellas. Don't always get the time, but I try - they just look so much better when I can....
Anyway, here are a few that I kinda like
1. I'm not saying this is the way it should be done, but it is different
2. A little different and a little humor injected into the photo
3. That's the best man on the left, the groom in the center.
And, here are a few that I don't really like....
4. This is what the groom (center guy) wanted and I couldn't talk him out of it, so ....
5.
6. This one is so symetrical that it's static - no dynamics or tension at all
As for portraying the relationship between men - sometimes they are more into it than others. I just push a little and if I get pushback, well, "it is what it is". But I try to get guys to show how they feel about each other - cause the photos is so much better when the guys are relaxed about it. Sometims works, sometimes it doesn't.
7. This has got to be one of the worst ones ever - father and son (groom). Look at all the space between them
8. On the other hand, you can get a group like this ... (granted not so formal...). These kids, all of them, grew up together. The MoB and FoB where surrogate parents to this whole group - the kids spent more time with the bride's home than they did at their own.
i just need on which camera and lens did you shoot it these images?
canon EOS 7D /canon 5d mark ll/ EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM/EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM/ canon lens 85mm 1.8
Comments
Guys, great ideas, all of them. I'm about to shoot a marine wedding - half the groomsmen in dress uniform. How do you work with that without it feeling stuffy? They're not going to do the coat-over-the-shoulder look or anything else like that -- it would be disrespecting the uniform. Any other ideas?
-Richard
www.RichardBerryPhotography.com
I know, this shot isn't fair as it's not a "formal" - but I gotta challenge the notion that you even need an all men "formal" shot at the church.
This is at "the church" -- but is more interesting that just standing in a line.
Ok....here is "men in a line". It's better than the pee-pee pose. It's still nothing any of them will want to see again or order.
The old "get them walking toward ya" -- I know, this can't be done at the church, but I'm sayin "don't bother getting men in a line at the church".
Lee
Now that's a well done "men in a line" photo -- cuz they aren't exactly in a line.
Lee
Lee
(sorry for the 2 pic combo ... was a pic I used on my blog ..., so ignore the one on the right)
Here are a few of my favorites
Family
The Guys
The Girls
Bridal Party
MILOStudios
www.milophotostudios.com
How many groomsmen were there?! I love the pyramid- very creative.
Thank you very much
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Here's a few:
1. I also have one of them just smiling, but this was too funny:
2. An old standard:
3. Variation on "dudes in a line" (Yeah, I know - fig leaves and I cut off feet - first wedding, won't happen again
4. She suggested that they blow her a kiss... which was really cute except I kinda missed the shot because it was so quick and spontaneous, and I had the 70-200 and was just too close and in the wrong spot to get it all in.
5. I don't even know how this happened - the girls just started dancing around the groom and I said "Nick! You have six women dancing on you!" and he looked up at me and smiled. What a cutie.
Spread the love! Go comment on something!
1.
2. Just messing around. The lighting is terrible and there is a lot technically wrong with this photo, but I really like the fun in it.
I shot the photo with the 35L, so I don't think the lens is distorting it. Not sure what is at fault for the top being straight and the ground not, most bizarre!
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I used to crop groupings tight, too, until I had that first mother in law that was aghast to find she couldn't order an 8x10 without losing the people on the ends
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The old standard is great and all......until the ladies DROP the groom
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Nice use of location! This might be one of my favorite group shots ever. The bride and groom looking at each other. The somberness (word?) of the other facial expressions brings the location out that much more. The little guy up front looks like he is really ready to protect everyone if needed. Nice effect, all of it. Great that you had a willing party for this shot. I see the ground slope being different from the roof, but my first thought is the age of the memorial. It looks like the ground/floor are sloped and you have a level roof.
Edit: this may sound a little goofy, but the symbolic nature of this photo is pretty cool. Like they are saying, we won't let this war stop us from living!
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Thank you