Photographing a large group. Help please.

[Ems]

Re: Photographing a large group. Help please.

Try and check that the people in the second row are in the looking through the gap between the two people in front of them and not looking over the head of the person in front, if that makes sense. also try not to have a straggler at the end of the rows. In Nathaniel's photos there's a bloke on the right who's almost cut off. If Nathaniel had had the chance to arrange them he could have stuck him on the end of the second row.

Emyr

[Nathaniel]

Re: Photographing a large group. Help please.

Russell, I would also like to add that it is also possible to get everyone in the photo if you can use any steps in the venue, as I have done in my photo examples posted on this thread. This is an alternative to arranging the group in a crescent. I personally prefer to use the tiered (steps) for my group photography- as I have got this facility in my venue.

[Columbarius]

Re: Photographing a large group. Help please.

Thanks Emyr & Nat, Yes Nat I have a lightweight stepladder to hand. I also picked up a trick from Youtube, to ask everyone to close their eyes in succession to check that they can see the camera with both. It avoids people being half hidden in a group.

[Nathaniel]

Re: Photographing a large group. Help please.

Thanks Emyr & Nat, Yes Nat I have a lightweight stepladder to hand. I also picked up a trick from Youtube, to ask everyone to close their eyes in succession to check that they can see the camera with both. It avoids people being half hidden in a group.

Russell,

Apart from having a convenient step ladder, which is always helpful, when I take pictures outside, I wonder whether your venue has got "natural steps" like altar steps in a church? This is personally better than using a step ladder as you can arrange the people in accordance to height with the taller ones at the back & so on. It would also help if you can get a "laughing bag" (giggle bag from Ebay) and squeeze (without telling anyone) this before taking the picture. You will make the people laugh/smile etc and remove a stern expression on their faces.

I don't wish to usurp your thread, but thought I'd give you an example of a group (a small one) with all "smiles" when I use the laughing bag. It brought out a smile even from the two stern faced gents at the back- not generally known for their smiling faces!! I am also posting a picture of over 100 priests taken outside my church using a STEP LADDER! I couldn't arrange them in a decent order as unlike school children, these clerks in Holy Orders were not very "obedient" to instructions!!!!!

Hope everything goes well for you.

Cathedral servers & Allsworths 010 by Nathaniel Ramanaden, on Flickr

Cathedral servers & Allsworths 011 by Nathaniel Ramanaden, on Flickr

Chrism service- 2nd April 2015 076 by Nathaniel Ramanaden, on Flickr

[Columbarius]

Re: Photographing a large group. Help please.

Thanks Nat, I'd never heard of a giggle bag, but it certainly seems to have got them smiling.

[Nathaniel]

Re: Photographing a large group. Help please.

Russell, I am sure you heard of the laughting bag from the good old days. The giggle bag is a modern innovation for an old favourite. YOu might like to enter giggle bag or Laughing bag on Ebay and you will get a choice. Actually for children's parties etc but I find it very useful to break tenseness in people- groups or other. The cost is from £3- £7. Actually I got adults doing the "jitter bug" with the help of the Giggle bag. I have christened it as SATAN!!!!!!! I will try and post it on a PM rather than mess up your thread!