Group Photography

[Jacki]

So, I am shooting a graduation party in a couple of weeks; it is going to be a mixture of indoor and outdoor. This will be my first time doing a paid shoot, and I am trying to be as prepared as possible. If anyone has any tips, do's and don'ts and general advice, I would very much appreciate it. I don't know that people are going to be actually posing for me, so I am unsure of what I am going to do for composition. I want to make sure I don't just end up with a bunch of snapshots.

Thanks in advance!!!!

 

[Tulsa]

hmm, I could go the route of saying, if your being paid, you should know the answer, but I am in a good mood!

Lighting is the key, indoors and outdoors, do you have a flash? (not the pop up)

other than that, get some mixes of poses and random shots of people talking and having a good time.

 

[pbelarge]

Jacki
For a non-dslr camera, yours in not bad. You can and should get a flash. You can have more control for the fill outdoors and the interior shots. Maybe purchase a flash diffuser, they are not expensive. Don't neglect your battery situation as well.

How well you know your camera is important. If I were you, I would shoot in raw, your camera has the capability...which means you will need to have a decent card or two. This way you can use the DPP program that came with the camera or other program you may have for post production.

RTB - read the book if you have not already and understand your camera. Also, there are many tutorials for this online, including videos on youtube.

Good luck! keep us informed.

 

[Jacki]

hmm, I could go the route of saying, if your being paid, you should know the answer, but I am in a good mood!

Lighting is the key, indoors and outdoors, do you have a flash? (not the pop up)

other than that, get some mixes of poses and random shots of people talking and having a good time.

You are obviously not in a good mood then, because you said it anyway...just in a passive aggressive way.

This is my first paid job. I am good with my camera, otherwise I would not have accepted money to shoot this party. I am understandably nervous, which says nothing about my skill or knowledge of my camera.

I don't care how long someone has been a photographer, there will always be situations where you are shooting in unfamiliar territory. Any photographer that charges money had a "first" job, and I am sure that many were just as nervous as I am, and probably asked for tips from other, more experienced photographers. Does this make them less worthy of being paid? No.

Shooting a party full of people I don't know at all is unfamiliar territory for me. I want to make sure I get the best pictures possible, and therefore am asking for advice from those who have more experience than I do.

 

[lunaaa]

i'm not a professional photographer and i never shot anything for money so i'm sorry have no tips for you but i wish you luck though and i hope it turns out great for you. come back and tell how it worked out

 

[Village Idiot]

hmm, I could go the route of saying, if your being paid, you should know the answer, but I am in a good mood!

Lighting is the key, indoors and outdoors, do you have a flash? (not the pop up)

other than that, get some mixes of poses and random shots of people talking and having a good time.

You are obviously not in a good mood then, because you said it anyway...just in a passive aggressive way.

This is my first paid job. I am good with my camera, otherwise I would not have accepted money to shoot this party. I am understandably nervous, which says nothing about my skill or knowledge of my camera.

I don't care how long someone has been a photographer, there will always be situations where you are shooting in unfamiliar territory. Any photographer that charges money had a "first" job, and I am sure that many were just as nervous as I am, and probably asked for tips from other, more experienced photographers. Does this make them less worthy of being paid? No.

Shooting a party full of people I don't know at all is unfamiliar territory for me. I want to make sure I get the best pictures possible, and therefore am asking for advice from those who have more experience than I do.

But my first paid job had me using a 30D and three off camera flashes for portraiture so I could shape the light the way I wanted it done, regardless of whether it was in doors or out.

Do you have a contract? Have your clients seen your work? Have you shot in this type of environment before?

If not, go practice.

Here's one from the first shoot I was ever paid for:

 

[Jacki]

hmm, I could go the route of saying, if your being paid, you should know the answer, but I am in a good mood!

Lighting is the key, indoors and outdoors, do you have a flash? (not the pop up)

other than that, get some mixes of poses and random shots of people talking and having a good time.

You are obviously not in a good mood then, because you said it anyway...just in a passive aggressive way.

This is my first paid job. I am good with my camera, otherwise I would not have accepted money to shoot this party. I am understandably nervous, which says nothing about my skill or knowledge of my camera.

I don't care how long someone has been a photographer, there will always be situations where you are shooting in unfamiliar territory. Any photographer that charges money had a "first" job, and I am sure that many were just as nervous as I am, and probably asked for tips from other, more experienced photographers. Does this make them less worthy of being paid? No.

Shooting a party full of people I don't know at all is unfamiliar territory for me. I want to make sure I get the best pictures possible, and therefore am asking for advice from those who have more experience than I do.

But my first paid job had me using a 30D and three off camera flashes for portraiture so I could shape the light the way I wanted it done, regardless of whether it was in doors or out.

Do you have a contract? Have your clients seen your work? Have you shot in this type of environment before?

If not, go practice.

Here's one from the first shoot I was ever paid for:

I do not have a contract, but, yes, my clients have seen my work, that is why they want me to do this. I have taken pictures of action and people in action before, just not such a large group, and I usually know the people! I guess my only real concern is capturing the right moments, which it seems like the only way to fix that worry is to take several pictures. I am not a big fan of flash, and I try not to use it if I can help it at all. I'm hoping, since I am taking pictures during a very sunny time of day, I will not need flash often, if at all.

 

[ifi]

Shooting a party full of people I don't know at all is unfamiliar territory for me.

You can turn this situation in your favor. To me when I shoot unknown people it helps me stay invisible - I don't have to ask people about their day or life and that helps me stay professional - even though I am not a professional photographer but it is the attitute that matters.

Just be yourself, be serious about your work and you will do great. Good Luck

 

[Village Idiot]

I do not have a contract, but, yes, my clients have seen my work, that is why they want me to do this. I have taken pictures of action and people in action before, just not such a large group, and I usually know the people! I guess my only real concern is capturing the right moments, which it seems like the only way to fix that worry is to take several pictures. I am not a big fan of flash, and I try not to use it if I can help it at all. I'm hoping, since I am taking pictures during a very sunny time of day, I will not need flash often, if at all.

If it's outside and sunny with not a lot of clouds, your photos are probably going to suffer from hard shadows from the harsh direct light from the sun.

A flash properly used will cut the shadows and give you a nice photo. Your built in flash won't cut it.

 

[KmH]

I am not a big fan of flash, and I try not to use it if I can help it at all.

You could well be one of the very few exceptions, but most photographers who say this, say it because they don't know HOW to use flash.

Taking control of the light, rather than just accepting what is there, is one of the paid photographer's main responsibilities.

 

[o hey tyler]

1. Camera sees light
2. Flash produces light (variable)
3. Camera+Flash=Better lit photos

Utilize what you can if you're going to be a photographer. Seriously.

 

[Jacki]

I am not a big fan of flash, and I try not to use it if I can help it at all.

You could well be one of the very few exceptions, but most photographers who say this, say it because they don't know HOW to use flash.

Taking control of the light, rather than just accepting what is there, is one of the paid photographer's main responsibilities.

I know how to use flash correctly. I just don't like it, and I find I rarely need it, especially with outdoor shots. I take most of my photos of people (and all of my nature photos) outdoors. I take a lot of pictures of my son and the other kids that he plays with, and flash is harsh on a baby's eyes, so I don't use it. This drove me to find out how to take stunning pictures using natural lighting, rather than flash. I don't think this makes me less of a photographer.

That said, I am going to take a few test shots in the area right before the event starts, so I know what I am working with.

Now, can someone please comment with tips on how to capture candid moments without making people uncomfortable, and therefore ruining a candid moment? Also, what sort of things do you (you being plural, as a generalization for whoever is reading this) say to people to ask them to pose for you?

 

[o hey tyler]

I know how to use flash correctly. I just don't like it, and I find I rarely need it, especially with outdoor shots. I take most of my photos of people (and all of my nature photos) outdoors. I take a lot of pictures of my son and the other kids that he plays with, and flash is harsh on a baby's eyes, so I don't use it. This drove me to find out how to take stunning pictures using natural lighting, rather than flash. I don't think this makes me less of a photographer.

It doesn't make you less of a photographer, it limits you as a photographer and what you can accomplish with a camera that has no interchangeable lenses, and a small sensor.

Light is good. High ISO noise is bad.

 

[gsgary]

If you don't like how flash looks you are not using it correctly because most good flash shots it is hard to tell it has been used

 

[Boomn4x4]

Now, can someone please comment with tips on how to capture candid moments without making people uncomfortable, and therefore ruining a candid moment? Also, what sort of things do you (you being plural, as a generalization for whoever is reading this) say to people to ask them to pose for you?

With all due respect... I think you are asking people to take years, if not decades of repeated failure and learning from mistakes trying to earn a living for themselves... and asking you to simply disclose that information in an Internet post.

Its not going to happen.

Trying to learn from the work of others is commendable... trying to profit off of it is not.

I think people will be far more willing to help you out if you take what you've learned thus far.... apply it, and then come back and ask what you could have done differently. People will be glad to help as long as you demonstrate that you are willing to do the leg work...