11 TIPS FOR TAKING GROUP PHOTOGRAPHY

If there is a type of photographs that no photographer is exempt from, these are, without a doubt, group photographs. At birthdays, parties, family gatherings, work meetings or any other type of event that brings together a large number of people, group portraits are the order of the day, especially if it is you who carries your camera in hand. Taking group photographs is not as simple as it may seem: it is not only to bring them all together, take a few steps back and shoot your camera. Nothing further than that. To become a true expert in portraying large groups of people, you must take into account a wide variety of factors such as light, composition, depth of field, etc. Do not worry, in today's article I will give you all the keys to become a true teacher in it. Hitting your next group portraits will no longer be a problem!

GROUP PHOTOGRAPHY

Group photography may seem trivial to you: it is only enough to pile up a group of people, move away a few meters and shoot. Actually, group portraits are much more than that: since the number of factors that you have to take into account increases as the group to be photographed becomes larger. When taking a group shot, you cannot ignore the following factors:

Organization: If managing a model can be difficult, imagine how complicated it is to coordinate a large group of people to be located exactly where you need it. In order to guide your models, no matter how many, you must first be clear about what you want to achieve. "He who does not know where he is going always ends there."
Illumination: a group photo taken in a room is not the same as one in the middle of a park, day or night, etc. You must evaluate very well with what type of light you have for your shots, natural or artificial and how you will use it to achieve the best results in your photographs.
Focus: according to how the protagonists are located and in how many planes you have arranged, the parameters of your camera to be configured will be one or the other. The depth of field is essential to ensure that all your subjects are focused, but be careful that the more you close the diaphragm, the more light you will need to take your shots. Making a correct measurement and exposure will be essential if you do not want to over or under-expose your photos and ruin the shots.
Composition: not enough to pile up how many people you cross to take your group photo. The way in which you have each of them can make your photos not only a portrait but also a photo loaded with a message. What subjects will come out in the shot, what position they will occupy in the frame, which will be the background, among many others, will be the aspects that you should evaluate in order to immortalize the moment, not just their characters.

Achieving a perfect shot requires that, when taking a group photo, you combine all the elements, whether technical or visual, that allow you to obtain as a result, not only a photograph of a group of people but one that manages to convey endless sensations : seriousness, joy, euphoria, etc.

Work your compositions

TYPES OF GROUP PHOTOGRAPHY

Not all group photographs are the same, and it is important that you understand what field you are in so that you can transmit a message or another in your photographs. It is not the same to portray the personnel of a company than the relatives at the end of the year dinner. The type of photography you are about to take will help you choose the best composition for it. Basically you can differentiate 3 different types of group photographs:

Formal group (professional)
From informal (social) group
From family group (family)

Later in the article you will find tips on how to compose your group photographs and how to locate their protagonists according to the field in which you need to do so. Be patient, there is little left.

The arrangement of the characters should not be casual

HOW TO HIT GROUP PORTRAITS

Previously I told you what are the 4 fundamental factors when taking group photographs. Now it's time for you to see why: Organization: If you do not organize the shots properly, it is very likely that, after taking your photos, you will realize that:

One or more people are looking the other way.
Some of the people, when taking the photo, leave with their eyes closed
That not everyone is expressing the same state of mind: some are smiling, others very serious or even angry.
There are people who have been covered by others and ended up not going out in the photo.

The problem is that, you cannot have the group stopped waiting for you to check the photographs one by one for errors. Ideally, you anticipate these and be not only the photographer but the coordinator of the whole shot. Empathy will be fundamental, so you should try your best smile, your best jokes and be very patient. The place you choose to locate the group will also be fundamental, not only because of the number of people who will be going out in it, but also, a large part of the photo message will depend on where you are going to do it: a football team in your playground, a wedding at the foot of the church, etc. The context of the photograph depends on the place you choose to take it. At the same time you should be careful that people stay as concentrated as possible and without distractions. Depending on the number of people you are going to photograph, you will have to take your time to place them within the frame: The tallest will go behind and the lowest in front. Later in the article you will see different composition schemes that you can use when organizing your groups.

Not having a plan can ruin your shots.

Illumination: The choice of the place will not only help you in the management of the group but also, choosing a suitable location, will define the lighting with which you must work in it. Imagine that once you have placed the whole group in the frame, you do not realize that behind it there is a large window or shop window: when you take your shot, if you shoot a flash its reflection in the background will completely ruin your picture. At the same time, if the location you chose to make your shots is strongly illuminated by sunlight, the excessive contrasts (lights and shadows) product of the hard light of this, will not allow you to obtain the best results: the intensity of the Light will force not only to close your eyes, but also, the high contrast will make you lose a great deal of detail due to the inability of the cameras to obtain, at the same time, details in light and dark areas at the same time. If instead, you use a more diffuse and less intense lighting, the results you get will be much better. It is not necessary that you have very expensive equipment, or a very large work team, you can take advantage of the first hours of the day, the last or the cloudy days to be able to work with a more natural light. I strongly recommend that you take a good read of the following two articles, so that you not only understand better how to work the light, but also, how to make the most of the dynamic range of your camera:

23 Ways to Use Light as a Creative Element (For When You're Not Inspired)
Detailed Guide: How to Make a Correct Measurement and Exposure in Your Photographs

The soft light will help you not to lose details

Depth of Field: The great enemy of group photography is, neither more nor less than the lack of focus on all the subjects that will appear in them. The lack of depth of field is one of the most common mistakes when taking pictures of groups. As I mentioned in the article " 16 Ways to Give Protagonism to Your Subjects ", the observer's gaze distinguishes those objects in focus from those that are not, intuitively heading towards the former. In group photography, the protagonist is the group as everything, but you should not lose sight of the fact that this whole, is composed of a lot of unique characters that must be portrayed in the same way so that they do not stand out above each other. This is why depth of field becomes so important. Pay attention to the following photograph: where is your gaze going when you browse the photo?

The foreground is in focus, not the second.

The problem: shallow depth of field due to the short distance from the photographer to the children despite having shot with a sufficiently closed diaphragm. The children in the foreground have come out completely focused, but not the children in the next plane who have been completely out of focus. The result: a photograph where there are only 2 protagonists and not 5 as they should have been. Your eyes will focus directly on the focused children, making them the protagonists of the image and the characters behind have become another element of the environment in which the first two meet. When you are taking photographs of groups, it is very complicated to ensure that all the people in the frame are on the same plane, in fact, it is almost impossible if the amount of these is very large. This is why the depth of field in your photographs must be large enough (very closed diaphragm) and the distance to the subjects far enough so that they all come out in focus (sharp). Already in case it is difficult to achieve perfectly clear photographs when working with only one subject, imagine how difficult it is if you do it with many. To be able to achieve perfectly focused photographs, you just need to follow the following recommendations:

Same focal plane: if you don't work with large groups of people, you can try to place them all on the same plane with respect to the camera. If they are aligned in the same focal plane, just by focusing on one of them, you will get very sharp images without having to close the diaphragm so much.
Intermediate focus point: if it is impossible for you to work with a single focal plane either because of the number of people to be included in the frame or because you have decided to compose the photo in a certain way, the ideal is that, when looking for the focus point, choose an intermediate one.

Working with only one plane will help you stay focused

That is, if you have arranged the subjects in 3 different planes, the ideal is that, to maximize the depth of field, place the focus on the 2nd plane. Thus, when closing the diaphragm, the depth of field will cover not only the subjects of the posterior plane, but also those of the anterior plane. I recommend that you read the following article, if you have any doubts: " The Depth of Field: Explanatory Chart ". Keep in mind that depth of field is influenced by 3 factors:

Diaphragm opening: the more open the diaphragm, (smaller values: f / 1.8, f / 2.8, etc.), the depth of field will be smaller and you will get more blur in your shots, and as you use more closed diaphragms (values larger: f / 22, f / 32, etc.) the depth of field will be greater, making all the planes of your photos come out sharp and in focus.
Focal length: the smaller the focal length you use when taking your group photographs (18mm, 32mm, etc.), the greater the depth of field you achieve. On the other hand, if you use longer focal lengths (75mm, 85mm, 135mm, etc.) the depth of field will be substantially smaller.
Distance from the focus plane: the farther you manage to place people to photograph and as you use smaller diaphragms, the greater the depth of field you will be able to capture.

The smaller the focal length of your target, the greater depth of field you will get.

Composition: Group photographs are not just a pile of people in front of a camera. As I mentioned before, the way you place the subjects in the frame, their expressions and the place where you are ready to portray them will enhance or not the message of your photograph and the sensations it transmits. Work your compositions , not only be responsible for pulling the trigger! The cameras tend to accentuate the distance that exists between the subjects of this, that is why you should try to place the group as close as possible and fill the frame with them. Anyway, as you will see in several examples later, transgressing the photographic rules is also an art, so it wouldn't hurt to become a little rebellious.

Make up with and for the group

Here are some poses and postures that you can use as a guide when making your next group photographs.

16 POSITIONS TO IMPROVE YOUR GROUP POSES:

1-If you work with very large groups of people, the most convenient thing is that you think of the group as a whole, that is, that you focus on the general composition of this and not of each of its particular members.

The whole is more than the sum of the parts

2-If the area where you are taking the photographs is very formal, a composition that can work very well is if you take your photographs in full body.

Whole body shots

3. There are certain situations that may arise where you need to put a large number of people inside the frame. In this type of situation you can try to take your photographs from a high angle, whether using a staircase, a balcony, or any other place that allows you from above that everyone enters the frame. This perspective is very attractive.

High shot

4 - Although the separation between people in a photograph is accentuated, it may sometimes be the best alternative. In working groups or employees of an organization maintaining a bit of formality can help transmit a more serious message, contrary to what you can get to try to get if you take some photos of your group of friends.

They should not always be on board.

5-For small groups of people, such as a photo with friends you can try more closed plans. In this type of composition, an excellent way to reinforce the message is to bring people together as much as possible. Ask them to put their heads together, or lean toward the camera so as to reinforce that feeling of unity.

In more informal situations: together it works better.

6. Circular compositions also work very well in groups of friends or in more decontracted environments. This unusual perspective can work very well when portraying a group, from a little explored angle.

Circular composition

7. A very fun and attractive composition will result if you have people in line, one after the other, while they appear on the sides of the main figure. If you work with a small group and in a decontracted environment, this distribution can give you very good results.

A very attractive composition

8. Unlike the previous one, if the situation merits using a slightly more formal composition, you can arrange people as shown in the following photograph:

A family photograph in a slightly more formal composition

9. Not all group portraits have to be static. You can capture and transmit the sensation of movement if, by shooting in burst mode, you make the protagonists of your shots , for example, jump. It is an informal and very funny composition.

Not everything must be static

10. If it is family groups, you can try sitting the family members in a chair or sofa and then photograph them filling the frame as much as possible, that is, leaving out of the frame all the elements that are not part of the family.

Fill the frame with your group

11. Another very effective composition when portraying families is, in an outdoor location like a park, sitting on the ground while you take your photos located at the same level as them.

Stay level

12. Again, if from family groups or in informal settings, you can ask people to lie on the floor. These types of compositions work well both outdoors and indoors, but remember, you should always be at their level.

Lying down you can get excellent results

13. An excellent composition that will help not only to distribute the people within the frame, but also to reinforce the message and the feelings transmitted through a photograph is to make the participants interact with each other.

Reinforce your messages

14- While in group photography, the protagonist is the group itself, this does not mean that only this is the interesting thing in a photo. On those occasions where the environment is worthy of being shown, in order to reinforce the message of your photographs. Seize it.

The surrounding lines direct the gaze towards the group

15- The protagonist should not always be the group of people. There are certain cases in which the interesting thing in a photo may not be the group itself, but what happens around it. Do not be afraid to break the rules, your imagination is the limit.

The background as the protagonist, the group as a souvenir.

16 - And if it's about innovation, you can try to portray a group of people doing just the opposite of what you should. Group photographs should not always be serious and schematized and equal. Dare to break the limits of your imagination and dislodge the viewer.

Groups can also be abstract.

11 TIPS FOR TAKING PICTURES OF GROUPS

Anticipate the shots: before bringing everyone together to take the group photo, take your time to explore the place and be able to think like that, which place will be the best to take the shots and in what position you will have each of the people. Having a good plan will make the whole process more comfortable and prevent the group from getting impatient.
Seek balance: when organizing the group for the shot, try to make the final result harmonious, that is, the group as a whole. It is not necessary that you join the highs on the one hand, the shortcomings on the other, etc., the most homogeneous groups are the ones that can give you the best results.
Be patient: remember that you will be working with groups, be patient and show with examples what you expect from them. It is not necessary that, to the organic shouts it takes. Remember that the more comfortable everyone works, the better results you will get in your photos.
Get accessories: a good ladder or a couple of chairs can be of great help when making shots with large groups. This type of accessories will be useful not only to rise above the people to make the shots, but also to distribute them in the best way without forcing them to perform awkward postures.
Create a good atmosphere: once you have arranged for all the members of the group in their positions, invite them to relax. Not everyone feels comfortable in front of a camera, nor does everyone know how to pose before them. Try to entertain them and do not take long to take your photos, the less time they are posing, the more natural and happy they will be in the final photographs.
1, 2, 3 Smile: just before shooting your camera, ask them to smile. The most natural smiles are achieved in this way. Otherwise, a warm smile will transform into a cold grin.
Work your funds: that the fund is not the main object of the shot does not mean that you should stop working with it. In fact, many group photographs spoil product of, for example, not checking if the surface of this reflects the firing of a flash.
Try different angles: if you have achieved a certain empathy with the group and it has a certain predisposition, you can take advantage and try, not only different angles, but also different positions and positions. The perfect picture is there, you just don't know when it can be presented.
Do not skimp photos: take as many photos as possible, photo by photo you increase your chances of getting the best results.
Work on your messages: a group photo should not look like the record of the people who appear in them, but quite the opposite. At a party, you should ensure that people look fun, on a birthday, happy or in a work meeting, professional and serious. Try to capture the personality of the group you are photographing and enhance it.
Do not leave anything to chance: before shooting, review all the details: how people are willing, that nobody gets covered, and that there is no element that can ruin the shots. Make sure that everyone enters the frame and that the composition of the group's silhouette pleases you.

If you do not want to wait until the next meeting of friends, family party or work meeting to put into practice the knowledge you have acquired, borrow your children's toys, borrow them from your siblings or use, of course, your own, and start taking excellent group pictures. What are you waiting for?