Good locations for family portrait?

Nawty

Nawty

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I recently shot a friends wedding (first time at anything like that) and it went really well, I spent the whole of the next day doing PP and then the photos got put up on a big screen at the after party. The B&G were chuffed to bits and everyone else was very complementary.

On the back of that I'll be doing a few more weddings which I don't have a problem with. However, I've just had a good friend ring up and ask if I'll do a kids & grand kids etc portrait for his mothers 60th. Of course I said yes (for a decent bottle of wine :D) but given I don't have a studio I have no idea where to take the shot.

So, does anyone have any suggestions for out door type scenes for decent group shots please?

(We're near Southampton so can do beach, forest, churches, river test and probably everything else).

Thanks :)
 
a plain wall? that would put the attention on them

but if somewhere you know has a connection to the family or a meaning to them it would work well also
 
A park with flowers or a nice landscape works well.
 
Kryptix said:
A park with flowers or a nice landscape works well.
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This is always my preferred choice - parks, grounds of 'stately' type homes all work well and often have a cafe too - so a butty & mug of tea is in the offing

A 'wall' though? Ok for fashion type shots, but not my taste for a family shoot

DD
 
My twopenneth.

I have done a lot of this type of thing in the past, important thing is to choose a day (or position) where the lighting is not too harsh, Broken cloud or lightly overcast is best. If the group is larger than about 8 people, have a look for sites with nice steps outside (public buildings, churches etc) do not shoot them posed all in a line (light terraced areas are good too), you need to vary the heights and depths of the subjects to make the image interesting. Recce your intended locations before the date at the approximate time you are planning on shooting and take notice of the direction of the light (you most definitely do not want frontal sunlight) try to choose a location where the sun is either blocked by buildings or trees, or is directly behind the subjects (this will make the use of a lens hood pretty much mandatory).

I have done a few of this type of shot earlyish on a Sunday morning on the steps of our Guildhall and also on the Steps of the odd church. I have also done them on the Hoe, on the moors, in the local parks and even one in a children's play park.

Try to find something that is personal to them, maybe their local church (if they are religious), their favourite relaxation area, even if they are that way inclined their local pub (if the pub, have a word with the landlord, try to find when the area is quiet and ask if you can use a couple of benches or bench tables to use to pose the guests.

Normally it is best to have the oldest member/s sitting (if possible), with any children sat in front, infants in their parents arms and then arranged by size and position to give a pleasing composition. Try to keep as wide an aperture as possible whilst ensuring that the DOF covers all persons in the group, but the idea is to try to let the background go OOF behind them, this will be limited by the distance the group are from the background (hard up against the wall is not a good idea, the further away the better) and the lens used. Use a tripod (if you have one) and it can be beneficial to use live view too (if you have it, if not take a quick image once they are all set up) and check carefully for things that either intrude or lessen the image in some way.

As in most things, reconnaissance and preparation are key, don't just choose somewhere from a map and turn up on the day.
 
Great post Ed, excellent advice.

I've been reading the replies here with interest as my family have mentioned to me about doing group shots. This isn't something I have much experience with, so your advice is most welcome.
 
Superb bit of advice from Ed there! :thumbs:
 
I've done a couple of these lately and have really enjoyed them. My recomendation if there are kids involved it to go somewhere that has something to interest the kids, that way when they start to get a bit bored they can be told, come on just a couple more photos and then off for ice-cream, or off to the swings etc. etc.

The second thing I would recommend it to try and keep the kids interest and attention, trying to get eye contact from a number of children all at the same time is an absolute nightmare, take multiple shots of each composition. I started a game with them that when I was taking their photos I got the kids to shout "Cheese" as loud as they could, when they had finished shouting they always seemed to laugh and this is when I took the photo. Invent games, have a running race and get all the kids to run towards you and have the parents onlooking in the background!!!!

In terms of locations I can't help you specifically but I try and find a location which can provide a variety of shots, the last location I used was an old hall which has play areas, a woodland walk, formal gardens, band stand, the old hall itself, petting zoo, koi lake, crazy golf and so could use all these settings to vary the shots. That way, you have a chance of selling more prints than if they are being photographed with the same old background!!!! Other good locations are stately homes, botanical gardens, national trust places etc.

I fully agree with Edbray, use DOF to blur your backgrounds, as this is pleasing for portraits, but be careful on group shots where people are at different depths in the composition. Direct sunlight is a no no and midday sunshine should be avoided. I always find first thing in the morning is great, as the lighting is generally good and the locations also tend to be quiet if you get there when they first open. I would also highly recommend visiting your chosen location first to get an idea of the shots you want to get.

Finally, some of the critique I got from photos I have posted on here which has hopefully helped me improve is to double check your backgrounds for stray branches, flowers etc. and another rule which was suggested was to never crop at joints, always in between joints. i.e don't crop at the knees crop at the thighs!!!!!

Hope this helps and post your results :thumbs:
 
i meant a plain(ish) white wall not like a brick wall to give a studio esque feel, but yeah ed and bulb's advice is good mine is less so :P
 
randiman said:
a nice park is more preferable, a beautiful natural water pool is my best interest
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Are you taking a group portrait or a landscape? :p

The problem with water as a background is it is usually at a low level and it is difficult to pose a large group in front of it and give some promonence to the people without the water taking over.

Now, an ornamental pond or fountain and you would be talking :thumbs: places for people to sit, stand or kneel to give you the depth and variation in heights.
 
When I used to offer enviromental portraits my favourite was a small woodland area at the back of my house. A couple of spots I used was a wooden bridge and a fallen tree. Each would provide varying heights for standing and sitting. I'd also take a couple of smallish towels and a car blanket. Towels used for anyone stting on the tree and blanket would be laid on the ground which was handy for children.

If I had a sitting in a house then I would use the families own surroundings and furnature. This I always thought was better than a studio backdrop as usually space was at a premium. I'd also try to shoot in the same room as the finished print would hang.
 
I really appreciate all the answers :)

Funnily enough I'm running a 10k at Netley Abbey this weekend so I'll scout for a decent location. The family isn't religious (or are Godless, to quote them) so that's out but they are checking if there's any location of particular significance to the mum.

I'll give it some further thought but I guess biggest thing given this weeks weather is that I hope it isn't raining :lol:
 
Just a quick message of thanks for the advice, I did the shoot (around Winchester - was visiting friends there the night before) and everyone was very please with the results. Especially me - I'd asked for a bottle of nice wine as payment and got a whole case! :D
 
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