Group Photo

[etana]

I will be shooting some small groups next month and will be using a strobe off camera w/umbrella. Not sure where the ideal location is for the umbrella. Directly above and behind me or off to the side, feathering the light across the group. Also shoot thru or bounce?? Thanks!

 

[tirediron]

It depends on: The size of the group, the setting (indoor/outdoor/sun/shade/??), the power of the strobe, the size of the umbrella, and the desired effect (Passport photo, artistic... loop effect, Rembrandt effect).

 

[etana]

Small group, should be no more than 5 - 6 across and 2 rows deep. This will be shot indoors with a Nikon sb600 and 45" umbrella. I'm not looking for dramatic lighting, just want a photo with nicely lit faces.

 

[tirediron]

I think you might be pushing a 6 person wide/2 row group with a single SB600, but in this case I would go reflected and from pretty much the centre of the group, far enough away so that the edges of the light reach the edges of the group.

 

[KmH]

Bounce into the umbrella, on the lens axis, above the camera position and tilted down. A 45" umbrella is pretty small for trying to light that many people.

I hope you have a high enough ceiling. The light will be rather flat and uninteresting.

You can only feather effectively across a group if you have 2 lights.

 

[etana]

Thanks guys! Hmm, thinking I should go with a 60" umbrella and rent a sb900. The ceilings are super high.

 

[KmH]

Do you know why I said bounce, and not shoot through?

 

[etana]

More light with the bounce?