Advice for a family portrait (photograph) please

Guy Fawkes

Guy Fawkes

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Lee Thurston
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Hello guys,

Another newbie question if I may .....

It is my grandmothers 80th birthday in November and as a nice present, her daughters (including my mum) have got together and are planning a nice family 'portrait' of all the family (about 20 in total).

Rather than shell out the money for a profesionaly photographer (whose photos will be obvioulsy excellent), my mum was just wondering if I coudl do it with my 400d and tripod??? They are fully aware the results won't be anywhere near that of a pro but are happy to lose quality for a cheaper product. Also, my grandma is in the early stages of dementia so in the nicest possible way, probably wouldnt benefit from a professional shot.

Anyway ....
  • the shots will have to be outside, but i don't have a dedicated flash, will this be still be OK?
  • Should i shoot against some large white sheets and then photoshop a nice background afterwards? Or try to go natural with a large conifer hedge/fence etc
  • Any tips for 'crowd control' or general arrangement?
  • And any top tips for general shooting techniques?

This is the first time i've done somethign like this - i'm very excited though! :)

Many thanks,

Lee
 
Tell everyone to close their eyes, and when you count to three make them open their eyes and take the picture. This way...well, it's pretty obvious what will happen.

And get family members to stand next to their spouses/immediate family (my family seems to have this thing that they don't mind standing randomly in pictures. It's almost like trying to find Waldo and then match him with his girlfriend)
 
Don't put them right next to the background, create a bit of separation. Pay close attention to your background, try and avoid distracting elements there like bright spots or things growing out of people's heads.

Shoot from the eye level of people in the group. Make sure there are no gaps between people, get them all close together. When you have the shot setup, shoot 5-10 shots in burst mode, with that many people you'll need a lot of shots to make sure everyone's eyes are open. Tell them you be taking a series of shots to ensure they don't stop smiling after the first click.

Act the fool, give them something to smile about.
 
WeddingHack said:
Don't put them right next to the background, create a bit of separation. Pay close attention to your background, try and avoid distracting elements there like bright spots or things growing out of people's heads.

Shoot from the eye level of people in the group. Make sure there are no gaps between people, get them all close together. When you have the shot setup, shoot 5-10 shots in burst mode, with that many people you'll need a lot of shots to make sure everyone's eyes are open. Tell them you be taking a series of shots to ensure they don't stop smiling after the first click.

Act the fool, give them something to smile about.
Click to expand...

:agree:

I suspect as it's a family group - and it's your family - you'll need to be in the shot too???

This won't work properly on a self-timer, so get a mate to pop round (preferably a jokey one) to press the shutter for you when you've set it all up on a tripod - that way all he/she has to do is interact with the group and fire away

3 frames a sec should be enough - oh, and a 10 sec burst at that too while he/she tells a joke/acts a fool while SHOUTING - LOOK AT ME!

:thumbs:

DD
 
Try and take at least one photo without boyfriends/girlfriends/passers by in the shot who are unlikely to be around in the years to come,this is something my wife thought of with our wedding photos
 
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