Prepare

Planning a group photo session generally gives you more control over the outcome than taking photographs as a camera-toting party guest, but they both require preparation prior to snapping the shutter button.

Choose a location: Are you shooting a large group ora small one? A large group requires morespace and you or your subjects need tobe elevated in order to include everyone in the scene. Would some people bemore comfortable sitting than standing? What is the relationship between the subjects - personal or professional. Is there a guest of honor? All of this information assists you in making a thoughtful plan and provides multiple ideas for creating animage everyone loves.

Find the good light: Our eyes are capable of seeing a greater dynamic range of light than our cameras, so be aware of harsh contrasting light in your scene and try to avoid it when positioning your subjects. Natural light creates some of the most beautiful images, however contrasting lights and darks throughout your scene makes it difficult for your camera to correctly expose the shot – and harsh shadows across faces is not attractive. Neither are squinting eyes due to facing bright sunlight. If you are shooting outdoors, make sure you place your subjects in an evenly shaded area or face their backs towards the sun. If the scene is too dark, fill in shadows with a fill flash or bounce soft light into their faces with a reflector.

The early morning light or very late afternoon light is the most flattering. During these times it’s easier to position your subjects anywhere, even facing the sun, because the light is softer and makes people look beautiful. The eyes look bright and alive when a catch-light is present. Look in your subject’s eyes and make sure you see one. If not, create a catch-light by reflecting soft light into your subject’s faces. If you are inside, pay attention to the type of light in your scene. Is it harsh or soft? Natural or artificial? Take some test shots to see how your camera is recording the light in the environment and adjust your camera settings to fit your intentions. If it’s too dark, use your flash options to control the light in your scene.

Direct

When an organized group of people is waiting for you to entertain, direct and impress them with your creative and technical skills - patience is fleeting. Your job as the photographer is to be prepared and keep everyone happy, together and interested by taking control of the situation in a firm, friendly manner.

Give direction: Communicate with and motivate your group. Get your subjects’ attention by communicating clearly and firmly. Gain their trust by being prepared and confident. Let your group talk and interact until you are ready to take the shot. Use the time between shooting intervals to praise them, get closer together or adjust their positions slightly.

Suggest poses: Try to avoid the look of a police lineup; instead position your subjects in an overall shape, with some people sitting, some people standing, and in a variation of body angles towards the camera.

Get focused: Regardless of the size of the group, when your subjects within the scene are positioned at different distances from the camera, they are on different focusing planes. This means that some people may be out of focus unless you use a deep enough depth of field (DOF). To counter this problem, use the aperture priority “AV” setting on your camera to select an aperture of f/8 or higher to help ensure that everyone will be in focus. If you’re shooting with a digital camera, use the depth of field preview button to check the focus in your scene before taking the shot. If you are using a compact camera, use your infinity or landscape mode to ensure a deep DOF and render everyone in focus in your image.

Take a lot of pictures: The odds are against you when trying to photograph a large group because people blink, talk and look away from the camera. It’s important to take as many pictures as possible because you increase the odds of capturing everyone looking good at the same time. Set the proper expectation and tell the group that you’re going to take a lot of photographs once they are in position. I like to give them a time limit; this prevents people from walking away once the first few shots are taken.

Have Fun!

Both formal and casual portraits offer opportunities for candid images. It could be the emotion shared between people before or after a formal pose is struck, or the natural reaction to something funny that occurred during the casual pose. Whatever happens, you need to be fully present in the moment, keenly aware of what is happening with your subjects, and capable of anticipating and recognizing an important moment.

Give your subjects something to do: Capturing a candid moment is easy when you place your subjects within the context of objects or activities.  When your subject is doing something your image tells a story and becomes much more interesting.

Use the Continuous Mode: When an emotion or reaction occurs, capture every second by using the continuous mode setting on your camera. Hold your finger down on the shutter button to capture multiple frames in quick succession.

Share

Now that you’ve mastered the challenge of photographing groups it’s time to share your photos with everyone. It’s easy to do with Canon printers, you don’t even need to use a computer – just insert your memory card, use the easy scroll wheel to make your selections, and press print!

- Erin Manning