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11-23-2006, 10:25 AM   #1
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Group photos

this past Monday we took our christmas pictures for the office and we had one of our clients come in (he takes photos as a hobby I think...) anyway, he comes in with a big adorama bag, packed with tripods for slave flash units, etc, and unpacks a Cn 5d, IS lens, the works....

we start taking pics, blah blah blah...
next day we get a copy of the photos..and it was all crap....
I took home the pictures to further inspect them, and it was very unusable...one or 2 so so pictures, but even those were pretty badly composed and exposed...

They know I do photography as a hobby, and now they want me to redo the photos....

im not so good w/ indoor group shots or indoor shots in general...so..my question to everyone is..how should I go about doing this and producing good shots...

I have the 18-55 DA kit lens, Sigma 28-80 f/3.5-22 and a Sigma 70-210 f/4-22 (yes yes..need more glass, might just buy a prime between now and then )
I sold my external flash a while ago ( i was going to buy a better flash unit, but never got around to it) so built in flash would have to suffice...

TIA

11-23-2006, 11:12 AM   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by -=JoN=- Quote
this past Monday we took our christmas pictures for the office and we had one of our clients come in (he takes photos as a hobby I think...) anyway, he comes in with a big adorama bag, packed with tripods for slave flash units, etc, and unpacks a Cn 5d, IS lens, the works....

we start taking pics, blah blah blah...
next day we get a copy of the photos..and it was all crap....
I took home the pictures to further inspect them, and it was very unusable...one or 2 so so pictures, but even those were pretty badly composed and exposed...

They know I do photography as a hobby, and now they want me to redo the photos....

im not so good w/ indoor group shots or indoor shots in general...so..my question to everyone is..how should I go about doing this and producing good shots...

I have the 18-55 DA kit lens, Sigma 28-80 f/3.5-22 and a Sigma 70-210 f/4-22 (yes yes..need more glass, might just buy a prime between now and then )
I sold my external flash a while ago ( i was going to buy a better flash unit, but never got around to it) so built in flash would have to suffice...

TIA
here is a very inexpensive book buy has some really good tips on weddings and photography in general (you can use some of the wedding tips as it describes some group photography)
I have some of scott kelby photoshop books and he is a "right to the point" author.

check it out, if might be worth it.

sorry, but I such in group shots.... hoping to change that with my first dslr, the k10 when it comes......

good luck

randy
11-23-2006, 11:35 AM   #3
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You need a tripod, of course. Use a focal length around 22-24 mm, so that you can get everyone in the frame, while still avoiding vigneting (at 18mm the corners go dark with that lens). Since you don't have an external flash the built-in flash will have to do. Use ISO 400 for the flash shots to get sufficient reach. With the self-timer you can get in the picture yourself. The take some shots without flash, too. Here you may need ISO 800. Manual focus is probably safest since you won't be behind the camera to check focus. Shoot raw, that allows for more adjustments, also regading the color temperature.

If you have more rows of people: Remind everyone that if they cannot see the camera, the camera cannot see them!

Try your set-up the day in advance - place a single volunteer in the area where the group will be, and shot away. Check your work when you get home and adjust your set up as needed (ISO, f-stop, exposure compensation) the next day.

And don't worry too much: Most folk aren't that critical about the technical quality - they are more concerned about how they look. Which could be why the C*n*n guy is still in business!
11-23-2006, 11:56 AM   #4
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one thing I did read.....
when you shoot a group photo, if you have the memory space, set your camera on continual and snap a few in a row.
why? it likely hood of at least one person in the group will blink during the shot.
with maybe 3 shot, it increases your likely hood of a good shot.

hope this helps

randy

11-23-2006, 04:43 PM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by slipchuck Quote
...set your camera on continual and snap a few in a row.
How do you do that if there's nobody to man the camera? It sounds useful.
11-23-2006, 06:49 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by Arpe Quote
How do you do that if there's nobody to man the camera? It sounds useful.
gee... I was referring to when someone manually snaps the shutter...... being able to snap a specified number of continuous shots from the timer would be a great feature.....
Is this possible with a pentax? or any other DSLR for that matter?

I wonder if the remote control that you can buy with the k100 or k10 be able to do this? and how far of a range would it have?

boy lots of questions

cheers
11-23-2006, 07:28 PM   #7
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Also if you have more than one row, make sure you have sufficient Depth Of Field, so all rows are in focus.

11-23-2006, 09:03 PM   #8
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cool, thanks for the tips...i bought the remote control f for it..havnt had a chance to work out the range, but i'll be sure to do the burst shots...wont be standing too far...probably 2 rows max..(we are not a big office)...

i'll be sure to post results...tnx
11-24-2006, 12:04 AM   #9
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Apart from taking a few continuous shots to get a good one with no eyes closed, it's not a bad idea to pretend you're finished taking them, then fire off a few more without telling them you're going to. Get some good candids hopefully that way. May be no good for the company Christmas card or whatever but fun to post on the noticeboard!
11-25-2006, 02:47 PM   #10
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I have taken shots like this using the Remote F and it has a pretty good range. I do a count, and say something like "On three, one, two, three and take the shot." Works for me.
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