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| 15 Jul 2007 12:33:24 pm |
 Tips for photographing large groups |
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One of the biggest problems with photographing large groups is getting a picture where no one is blinking. Even with only four or five people, you can run into the problem. Generally what people do when taking family or large group portraits is take a lot of photos of the same pose. I think that is still advisable, however I've developed another method to help achieve as many photos as possible where no one is blinking.
An idea I use to help limit the photos where someone has their eyes closed is a method I use on outdoor photo sessions, especially the beach, to help control squinting. All I do is ask everyone to close their eyes. Then tell them when I say "open", they need to open their eyes.
When people first open their eyes, they take a second or two to adjust to the light before they start squinting. If you snap the picture right away, you have a better chance of getting one with their eyes all open.
When you photograph large groups, you are bound to get someone blinking. So if you employ the same idea for blinking as I do with squinting, you are unlikely to get anyone blinking because generally people don't blink as soon as they open their eyes. You may want to wait a second longer to ensure their eyes have relaxed and focused.
By the way, I also have another method for controlling sqinting when the 'close your eyes' idea doesn't work. I ask the 'squinter' to open their eyes really wide, spooky wide, and then ask them to relax their eyes. I snap the picture immediately after I ask the to relax their eyes.
I hope these tips for photographing large groups and families and photographing outdoors helps. If anyone else has some good tips, please share! |
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Posted By : Marcy
| Category : Family |  Comments[33] |  Trackbacks [0]
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| 01 Nov 2006 01:43:36 pm |
| Family Portrait Tips and Ideas |
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Taking great Family Portraits all of a sudden is a popular idea around Christmas time. Everyone wants to send out Portrait Christmas cards these days.
So with that in mind, here's some quick tips on taking better family photos:
1) Keep the heads on different planes. To do that, it helps if you don't sit people the same size on the same chair, rock, etc. or at least one that is sloped. In the picture below, you see that no one's eyes are at the same level. This makes for a far more interesting portrait.
2) Pose subjects in a triangular shape. Another way to help make your portraits more interesting, help draw the eye into the portrait, and help keep people's heads on different planes, is to pose the subjects in triangular shapes. If you look at the photo below, you see how everyone is positioned in a triangle. Even on the right side where the dog forms another triangle.
3) Wear similar clothes and the exact same color. Clothing is very important in the portrait. What you wear can change the whole look of the portrait. From a formal timeless classic to a casual photojournalistic style, it's important to consider what you wear and where you want to hang the portrait. There are also some dos and don'ts with clothing. They are all about eliminating or minimizing distractions in the photo and helping to set the tone. Portraits are all about the face. Everything in the portrait, the lines and shades, should draw the viewer's eyes to the faces of the subjects. So,:
a) Do wear all the same color. And when I say the same color, it should be the EXACT same color. Not two different hues of blue or brown or whatever color you are wearing. A dark blue and a light blue will still be distracting.
b) Do cover your elbows and knees at least for adults. Most people's knees and elbows don't photograph well and will become distracting in a portrait.
c) Do go barefoot. Shoes are always a problem in group photos. Few people own similar shoes as the rest of the family and then of course there's the problem of scuff marks, ornaments and trim that can become distracting.
d) Do choose clothing that is neither too tight nor too loose because this assures that it will hang evenly without excess creases or folds.
e) Avoid clothing with patterns (i.e. dots, strips, flowers, shapes, logos, or any bold patterns, etc)
4) Avoid wearing glasses or get frames without lenses from your eye doctor. Otherwise your eyes may be hidden by flash or sunlight glare. You also want to avoid sunglasses and glasses with lenses that darken or colored lenses.
5) Take steps to reduce redeye . We talked about redeye before. There are some lighting changes you can make when taking indoor portraits to help prevent redeye. Leave all the lights on and windows open that you can - if it doesn't impact the overall lighting. Sometimes you open curtains and blinds and you get hot southern sunshine streaming in and creating a big hot spot in your portrait area. You are better off filtering that light. Otherwise, letting in a lot of non-direct sunlight will help to fill in your overall portrait lighting while your flash can be your main light. With a lot of light in the room, your iris grows smaller and the redeye effect is minimized or eliminated. Of course, the best method is moving the flash off camera.
Having said all of this, I like to remind my clients that it is their portrait and they can wear and do what they want. But I feel it's important that they know the effect the choices they make have on the final portrait.
Next I'll post about some creative location and posing ideas. |
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Posted By : Marcy
| Category : Family | Comments[27] | Trackbacks [0]
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