20+ people outdoor portrait help

nicnelly · November 24, 2010

I am still quite new to this and although I have gotten pretty comfortable with single person portraits with natural light I need lots of help to get to the next level. I have been asked to do a family session for a group of 20-25 people. I am willing to rent/buy the equipment I need to do this correctly. I will buy if I can afford it and I think it will work well in the future (planning to continue with children/seniors....maybe some day weddings?) but rent if it isn't a priority for these situations.

I shoot with a Canon 50D and I have a 50mm 1.4 and an old kit lens (18-55mm) from my previous camera. I know I need to invest in more lenses and lighting but I'm not sure what should come first.

Besides equipment I would love suggestions on settings, composition and any other tips you have photographing large groups. In reading prior posts it sounds like getting above the group (step ladder??) makes the most sense. Thank you in advance!

Art Scott · November 24, 2010

i would try to find a park with an incline in the grassy area....nice skyline for backdrop....if the ground is dry get family groups
and have them sit on the ground spaces between .... myabe a few standing in the back area........make it a fun shot...shoot off an
8' step ladder and have fun with it.......or see if you can gain access to a theater just a little to opening to the public or use a
college theater with inclined seating and have some people with shoes on the seat backs and such....then clean the seats before leaving.....

nicnelly · November 24, 2010

Art Scott wrote: »

i would try to find a park with an incline in the grassy area....nice skyline for backdrop....if the ground is dry get family groups
and have them sit on the ground spaces between .... myabe a few standing in the back area........make it a fun shot...shoot off an
8' step ladder and have fun with it.......or see if you can gain access to a theater just a little to opening to the public or use a
college theater with inclined seating and have some people with shoes on the seat backs and such....then clean the seats before leaving.....

these are great ideas. I love the theater idea but I think they want a more outdoorsy look. I love hearing suggestions for group shots so please keep em coming!! But specifically what I need to know from experienced photographers is the best lens and lighting to use for these types of shoots. 24-70 2.8? or an 85 mm? and lighting....can I get away with an off camera flash? what would make the most sense for a late afternoon shoot with the sun setting behind?

FusionFotography · November 28, 2010

I have shot 10-15 for sporting events with a nikon sb-800 off camera on a lightstand connected with an sc-28 I dont think that the flash would put out enough power for 20-25 people, but I could be wrong I dont use the sb-800 too much

Icebear · November 29, 2010

The wider your subject, the farther away your flash has to be to get coverage. The farther away it is, the less power you are going to be able to put onto the faces. Back-lit, as you propose, would require a lot from a speedlight. To cover three rows of roughly seven people, you'd need to be far enough away that the effective falloff from front to back row wouldn't be too much to make up for in post processing. That factor, in itself, would help you with the beam width. The SB800 is pretty powerful, but you'll need all it can give you to compete with the ambient backlighting. Is there some way for you to set up a dry-run test shot ahead of time?

Edit: Oops! I got sidetracked by the SB800 post. No prob. Canon has a gonzo speedlight that's equal to the task, the 580 EX II. Worse come to worse, you can prolly rent one.

nicnelly · November 30, 2010

thanks for the input. I am thinking about renting the 580 EX 2 but I was wondering also if I might be able to get the light soft enough to have them facing the sun as it is going down. I am worried about that small window of time for such a large group though. Any experience with this? Now I understand why people have studios! How nice to be able to control lighting and background. I feel like I am in a little over my head with this but they are on a budget and I can use the experience....btw, they just notified me it will be 18 people so a little smaller than I had originally thought.

Icebear · November 30, 2010

A group of eighteen should be easily manageable. If you have them "pretend you really like each other" and overlap shoulders, your group can be pretty compact and not be facing dead-on to the camera. If, as Art suggests, you can get on a moderately tall step-ladder, you should be able to frame some shots nicely. Take a bunch, but fairly quickly. With eighteen, you have a pretty good chance of eye-blinks or other shot-killers.

Let's hope you have a nice overcast day. Get the sure thing of the tight group from a high vantage point and you're then free to try a few more creative ideas. But you must get the money shot.

mr peas · November 30, 2010

I'd like to add some samples I took this past week:

^ With Fill-in flash to the right of the camera @ full-power (300watts) without a diffuser.

^ Without Fill-in flash

If you're indoors, the Speedlite may be just enough to provide fill-in light, but outdoors you may need at least 2 Speedlites. If anything, it helps filling in the background which makes for an overall better photograph. Good luck!

20+ people outdoor portrait help

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