Large Family Shoot help

AspectArts

I am set to do a family reunion shoot this weekend. There are 31 of them, the parents, 6 grown kids, spouses, grandkids... ranging in age from 18 months up. We will be shooting (hopefully) outdoors in the snow. Any pose recommendations? Feel free to post pics of anything similar that you've done. This will be my biggest family portrait session to date.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
Lisa

Nikolai

I'd recommend to find some slope to place them on or use a highly elevated fnatage point for yourself (tall ladder, 2d floor balcony, etc.). Arrange them in 4 rows with approximately 8 people in a row. You can also try 5x6 pattern but that could be tricky.
You would need a rather large DOF, so you'd have to step down to at least f/8 or maybe even higher. Which means you'd need a lot of light which speread even wetween all the subjects. Also try to shoot from a larger distance (a long lens and a tripod may be a must) to avoid the front row being twice as large as the back one.
HTH

Art Scott

Nikolai wrote:

I'd recommend to find some slope to place them on or use a highly elevated fnatage point for yourself (tall ladder, 2d floor balcony, etc.). Arrange them in 4 rows with approximately 8 people in a row. You can also try 5x6 pattern but that could be tricky.
You would need a rather large DOF, so you'd have to step down to at least f/8 or maybe even higher. Which means you'd need a lot of light which speread even wetween all the subjects. Also try to shoot from a larger distance (a long lens and a tripod may be a must) to avoid the front row being twice as large as the back one.
HTH

I agree with Nikolai.......with the rows of people try not to do perfectly straight lines......do vees of inverted vees....something to add a little flair.......I have had to shoot several awards gatherings for a large computer company that I had to be on theroof of the company with 300 reciepents below....the publisher would up doing a split and puting it across the top of 2 pages.....2 in a row and then "we" (me and the "art director" got smarter and stated shooting smaller groups and let the paste up people do their magic).............

AspectArts

I am visualizing separating them just a bit by family, mom and dad in the middle, and family groupings on either side, just enough that there isn't one big mass of people. Also, I'm thinking of a couple chairs, or stools, or people squatting to break up the lines. I don't want lines... lol. Does that sound feasible?

ChatKat

Stairs, Rocks
Yes, you definitely don't want them to think grade school photos....

I like using stairs when they're available and you definitely want to be up on a stepladder as well as shoot from straight on but down low. Vary the height of people into groupings where the heads are groups that are V shaped, N shaped and C shapes as well as S curved. They all make for nice groupings.

Ann McRae

Great question, can't wait for the answers to keep coming. I have a request for exactly this kind of shoot for this summer (woohoo, people giving me notice!).

My experience for soccer teams, two rows of 8 - 10 is that f8 is not enough DOF. So once you talk about 3 or 4 rows, I think you'd want f10 or higher even.

ann

Nikolai

Ann McRae wrote:

My experience for soccer teams, two rows of 8 - 10 is that f8 is not enough DOF. So once you talk about 3 or 4 rows, I think you'd want f10 or higher even.

ann

It all depends on the distance. That's why I suggested long tele and shooting from far:-)

WingsOfLovePhoto

I stacked my last big group on a haywagon and a tractor as they owned a farm. If you are going to be outside in the snow do you can you make big snowballs to stack them or do you have a hillside area?. Stairs are always a good idea as was mentioned. maybe in front of a historical building in your area? Here is an example of the last big shoot I did. Photographically it is a horrible picture but you can get an idea of what I did with so many people. Good luck. Post some when you are done!

AspectArts

Nikolai wrote:

It all depends on the distance. That's why I suggested long tele and shooting from far:-)

I really appreciate that suggestion! I will have the room to back up and use my 70-200, so I am definitely going to do that. Thanks for the tip!

Nikolai

AspectArts wrote:

I really appreciate that suggestion! I will have the room to back up and use my 70-200, so I am definitely going to do that. Thanks for the tip!

Sure! Use the www.DOFmaster.com and precalculate what f-stop and what distance you could use, then you'd know how compact your group needs to be.