Family group shots on staircase - lighting help please

tdodd · 5 Aug 2010

I have been asked to photograph some family group shots on a staircase at Luton Hoo. You can get a rough idea of the staircase and the surroundings from this picture....

not my image

I've never been to the place and as it's 50 miles away I won't get to see it until the day. I don't know what sort of lighting they have there, or how daylight might factor in, depending on weather, sun position etc etc.. The shoot is between 12:40 and 13:15 this Sunday. I understand that the room curves around behind the camera position with a continuation of the off-white walls, so lots of potential for bouncing flash.

The patriarch and matriarch want all shots to be taken with people posed at the bottom of the stairs, using the bottom five steps only, so there will be no need for shifting lights around (I hope). There will be various arrangements of people from a minimum of two up to a maximum of 21.

I'll be shooting with a 5D2 and 24-70 on a tripod and I have 2 X 580EX with stands and the option of brollies if it would help. I can trigger wirelessly in manual flash mode. I'm going to have no time to set up and experiment beforehand because I am also a member of the family group, expected to appear in one of the photos, and we're just taking 35 minutes out for the photos. For the rest of the day I'll be hobnobbing and stuffing my face.

I'm hoping for some help with figuring out how best to light the group for maximum appeal. Should I just bounce both flashes off the wall behind me? Would it be better to use the brollies, and as shoot through or reflective? Should I stick one of the flash guns behind the group for hair/separation, and should I fire directly at them or bounce off the wall behind them, more like a background light? I have almost zero experience with off camera flash, or shooting formal groups, so I don't know what would work best given the limited time, resources and experience. I'd be grateful for any suggestions. Thanks.

BTW, I've only found one image on the internet with EXIF to help me out and the image there for a large group was taken with a 5D at 40mm, f/4, 400 ISO, 1/2" plus flash.

not my image

p.s. Is this the kind of shot for which I'd be better off shooting from a stepladder (which would mean no tripod (don't fancy that for a 1/2" exposure), and also a problem for the largest shot of all, in which I am to appear)?

Harvey_nikon · 7 Aug 2010

hmm, from the first image it looks as though there is lots of light coming in from the top anyway.

If it's bad I would image that maybe a small flash further up the stairs bouncing light from the curved wall behind them and maybe 1 or 2 umbrellas lighting them from the front.

But I have no practical experience with flash so you could just ignore me

rgrebby · 7 Aug 2010

Looks pretty light but then that could be a slow shutter speed shot on a tripod

tdodd · 7 Aug 2010

Thanks for the replies. The second shot I linked to was at 0.5 seconds, with flash, and there is an ugly flash shadow behind the statue, and the colours look off and the people don't really pop, but then it was shot in the evening. Other than that it's lovely. But I'd like to try to do better than that if I can. I want nice catchlights and no nasty shadows, but I only have two flashguns and two brollies so my options are limited. I think I might just shoot through from the front with both, or maybe simply bounce off the wall behind me. Anyway, tomorrow I shall find out.

tdodd · 8 Aug 2010

Well, the deed is done, and here is a sample from the day. This is a landscape crop from a full length shot.

In the end I fired both 580EX flashes, bare, against the whiteish wall behind me. I needed both on full power to get the light I wanted, but it seems to have worked out OK. There was actually b****r all ambient available unless I wanted to risk excessive noise, blur or inadequate DOF, so this was effectively lit by flash only.

FlyTVR · 9 Aug 2010

I'd say you deserve a slap on the back. Nice shot. No harsh shadows - looks like the bounce diffused the light nicely. Plus you got the catchlights you wanted.

raj357 · 9 Aug 2010

nice shot, have you got more of the larger group shots ?

david1701 · 9 Aug 2010

Good DoF clean and evenly lit, never gonna set the world on fire but spot on for this kinda shot

tdodd · 9 Aug 2010

FlyTVR said:
I'd say you deserve a slap on the back. Nice shot. No harsh shadows - looks like the bounce diffused the light nicely. Plus you got the catchlights you wanted.

Thanks. I was veyr apprehensive on the day, but pleased with how things turned out. I think Picasaweb is doing something a bit iffy with the colour. Things look better in Lightroom before export, even though I am definitely outputting in sRGB. :thinking:

raj357 said:
nice shot, have you got more of the larger group shots ?

Here's the largest group. I'm in this shot - the guy wearing the white shirt and no jacket, because I forgot to put it back on for the photo. I used a timer remote to give me a 15 second delay to get into position and then fire off three shots at five second intervals.

david1701 said:
Good DoF clean and evenly lit, never gonna set the world on fire but spot on for this kinda shot

Yeah, no prizewinner, but not bad for a first effort. I was a bit alarmed at how much flash power I had to throw at the scene. Maybe I should have used the brollies for greater efficiency.