[Lowell Goudge]

Yeah I agree Lowell the intent was to have the sunflowers in the background. Cloudy day , people with very short attention spans haha I was lucky to get a 3 kicks at the cat (especially with a timer). I gave a couple of version to the family this one and one very tightly cropped which is a little less distracting.

And kids haha I have two version of some of the younger kids doing some Nasal maintenance Like I said this was the best of the bunch

BTW that is a great shot of yours !

We tried the same this thanksgiving. Same crowd, but 5 years older. It wassn't the kids, but the adults. Some of the expressions made me think they were possessed. I have no intention of ever printing/posting any of them, but boy do they generate a lot of laughs.

[rparmar]

I like it, Dave. A bright and cheerful shot of a bright and cheerful group!

[daacon]

I like it, Dave. A bright and cheerful shot of a bright and cheerful group!

Thanks rparmar ! It's is one those rare shots tha is a keeper regardless from a memory perspective (it was Mother in Laws 70th B-day) I have not seen some of these of these people in years and it will likley be years before I see them again).

[ChipB]

Lots of good ideas - I've had some success taking photos of my g-kids by getting them involved in the actual camera mechanics. I tell them to look into the lens and then they can "see" the photo being taken. Seems to work with my crowd! YMMV.

I've taken a lot of group photos - some good, some not so good - and, in looking at the two group photos in this posting (thanks Dave and Lowell) I find that the bright, cheerful "look" is more "fun" - to me. Both are excellent group shots - I just think that in the future, the one that's got lots of color will be more fun to look at and reminisce over. So, personally, I'd have everyone wear their brightest, loudest shirt - some will be guaranteed smile creators!!

[TOUGEFC]

Some good advice of these last few post's, thanks for providing the example photo's , its given me some ideas on how i will postion people and their stance, i can visualize it all in my head how i want and hope for it to go.

In addition ive given rep points to everyone in this thread who has provided helpful suggestions.

Thanks-
Simon

[daacon]

Good luck simon and please if possible post your results - and thanks for the rep points.

[Lowell Goudge]

Yeah I agree Lowell the intent was to have the sunflowers in the background. Cloudy day , people with very short attention spans haha I was lucky to get a 3 kicks at the cat (especially with a timer). I gave a couple of version to the family this one and one very tightly cropped which is a little less distracting.

dave

been meaning to ask you about the background.

would it have been better with a different lens / perspective.

I am not sure which way I would go, longer, to crop at a tighter angle, or shorter to make the shead appear smaller, but it had me thinking.

Maybe a fisheye? could make the whole background disappear. Just joking, but you get the idea.

[daacon]

dave

been meaning to ask you about the background.

would it have been better with a different lens / perspective.

I am not sure which way I would go, longer, to crop at a tighter angle, or shorter to make the shead appear smaller, but it had me thinking.

Maybe a fisheye? could make the whole background disappear. Just joking, but you get the idea.

Lowell

I think in hindsight I might has used the Barn as backdrop. I used the Sigma 17-70 for this and was at 31mm. I took several family portraits of the individuyal families and was able to come in much tighter with just the sunflowers showing, they look pretty good. I might have also tried to elevate the camera a little more to make the background a little less distracting. Could have tried the DA 12-24 and in your face with maybe a f4 to try and blur some of it out as well.

At these types of events it's difficult becuase I was asked to take one group shot , which turned into about 10 indiovidual family shots and a group shot. We also had a couple of people who had difficult walking which meant the closer the set up the better. I learned from this , I would have loved to try a few different lenses (including the fisheye!) but this was just before supper (a succulent BBQ roast which everyone could smell ) . This was the best time as eveyone was still there and after supper was the Birthday cake and celebration and people start to scatter and leave right after. I gave all the family shots to the various families and they were happy with them, including the group shot - so as I working for supper so to speak , I think everyone was satisfied and gratefull and that was payment enough.

[Lowell Goudge]

Lowell

I think in hindsight I might has used the Barn as backdrop. I used the Sigma 17-70 for this and was at 31mm. I took several family portraits of the individuyal families and was able to come in much tighter with just the sunflowers showing, they look pretty good. I might have also tried to elevate the camera a little more to make the background a little less distracting. Could have tried the DA 12-24 and in your face with maybe a f4 to try and blur some of it out as well.

At these types of events it's difficult becuase I was asked to take one group shot , which turned into about 10 indiovidual family shots and a group shot. We also had a couple of people who had difficult walking which meant the closer the set up the better. I learned from this , I would have loved to try a few different lenses (including the fisheye!) but this was just before supper (a succulent BBQ roast which everyone could smell ) . This was the best time as eveyone was still there and after supper was the Birthday cake and celebration and people start to scatter and leave right after. I gave all the family shots to the various families and they were happy with them, including the group shot - so as I working for supper so to speak , I think everyone was satisfied and gratefull and that was payment enough.

I know what you mean

I had 10 seconds on thanksgiving to take the shot this year

[daacon]

I know what you mean

I had 10 seconds on thanksgiving to take the shot this year

Yep hey he has that professional looking camera lets get a professional shot in about 10 seconds No need to worry about facing the camera and smilling or not fidgiting he has Photoshop !

[Ira]

Hey, I think those sunflowers are FANTASTIC!

You have to imagine this photo blown as a large print hanging on the wall:

You have a vibrant, interesting photo that shows the family in a beautiful setting, as opposed to just a bunch of faces, like a photo your local rotary club.

[TOUGEFC]

Ok, change of plans, i just spoke to my friend, and his family wants to do the shot in house,
The room he has described sounds quite large, the walls are white, and it has 2 windows on one side of the room.

Im thinking since i only have one external flash and umbrella( 43inch) my best bet would be to try to minimise the width of the group and use my umbrella as a translucent shoot- thru so it can spread more light, and try to distance the group as far away from background white wall as possible, sound good?

The shoot is tomorrow afternoon by the way.

[Lowell Goudge]

Can you make use of the windows and natural light? This will help out if you only have one flash which you can then use for fill

Also look atmanything to help as a reflector for the natural light

Be careful of things that will cause bright reflections like pictures as well and these may also cause the background to appear cluttered

[TOUGEFC]

I havent seen the room but my friend tells me the light is very controlable as the room has many lights and windows have blinds, also he said the room has been emptied.

[MRRiley]

Good luck... your job just got twice as hard...

Mike