Posing a HUGE group.....

EdinburghGary

EdinburghGary

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Gary
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Guys,

Granny is 90, and then there are 15 others, all the way to a tot at a year old. I have 2.4 metres x 2.4 metres of space :D

Short of booking a gym hall, any posing ideas which allow me to capture everyone in the same shot appreciated. I am not going to shoot smaller groups and combine later.

I am almost ready to book a local community hall for the shoot.

In terms of the shot, not worried re lighting and will be using the medium range on my 70 to 200.

Gary.
 
I had to do a group of 16 in a dental surgery.. which was a converted terraced house. Space was at a premium shall we say. Luckily I had a brief to shoot high with them all looking slightly up at the camera slightly over one shoulder (i.e. no-one stood straight on). It's your typical corporate nonsense, but perhaps you could adapt it?

Managed to light it with one 46" umbrella and a 580EX II, but like you say I'm sure you'll have that side of it covered.
 
you will need a large stepladder or scaffold to get around 3 metres off the ground to get a good all faces shot
thats how we do our family reunions
 
The last time I had to do a large group shot (about 80) I was lucky in that the weather was good and the hotel staff let me climb out onto the fire escape.

The only problem when you're 80ft above them is that crowd control gets tricky/trickier!
 
I've got a group shot of 400 people to do in July at a local castle, still trying to think up arrangement positions :cuckoo: i can get high luckily (there's a 80ft Keep)
 
Gary- why not have the Granny on the left for one shot with 7/8 to the right. Then Granny on the right and 7/8 to the left. Put the 2 images together (with the best Granny shot + in the center) and your done. (and yes, I know you said you didn't want to merge them...)
 
Shoot them all one at a time against a plain background, cut them out in photoshop and make your composition up in PP :D
 
It should be pretty easy if you layer them. Tot/young uns sat down in front of next oldest sat up etc. etc. A bank of 4 layers and shoot from on high. :)
 
Shoot from above. Granny in the middle, maybe holding tot. Generations radiating out. Might be fun/wacky shot wide-angle.

Normal standing shot, around gran/tot in big chair centre.

Shoot in individual family groups and merge. I know I know...
Ditto, arranged in generations groups, and merge. Yes, I heard you :)

If you hire a big venue, they will only spread out and you need it to be tight. Plenty of DoF. Shoot loads so that you can shop out/in the squint/smiles. Don't do tricky light - basically flood it and have a dash of on-camera to add sparkle.

Post results up here :)
 
EdinburghGary said:
Well I just shot 9....5 adults and 4 kids, and it was a squeeze. If all else fails, PILE UP!!!!!!! :D

It was awesomely funny...

Gary.
Click to expand...

I'm guessing you've maybe got an awesome shot out that, perhaps just because of the cramped space.

Hows about from above, Gran standing in the middle with everybody else falling all around would be fun, maybe on a wide angle?

Fun shots like that make it all worthwhile. You gonna share bud?
 
Really long lens from the top of Edinburgh castle? Helicopter?

Realistically that's a wedding group size so outside somewhere and shot from slightly above?
 
what mrcrow and mercedes said.
layer em.
tall ones at the back. next row crouched (or back row stood on boxes). smaller kids next , and little ones on the floor at the front.
and maybe a big step ladder. gert em all looking up.
weve had 70 odd.
again outside in a hotels gardens. shot from a first floor balcony.
 
Forgot to update the thread. Shoot was today, plenty of keepers, and I think I am going to be able to sell both the COMP and the ALL IN shot.

I made a wee school boy error, the ALL IN shot, some heads were cutting a tiny bit of the face of the row behind, but I tried - in hindsight more height would have helped.

I'm not sure it's going to be an issue for the family but its bugging me.

G.
 
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