Need Help For 3 girl group shot

[651stp]

Hello TPF! i am doing a photoshoot of my old ladie and her 2 best friends this weekend. I am need of serious help for this as she is depending on me to get the pictures right! well i'll just start off by giving a little bit of the details of the shoot and what i been having troubles with doing group shots.

The three girls ages are 23,23,24. I would love to get some help on poses. If someone has reference pictures or ideas im all ears!

The trouble that i've been having with taking group portraits(of 3 to 5) is that when they are not in the exact distance from the first person i am focusing on, everyone else is really soft, or a tad soft. My ultimate accomplishment is to have them all in focus but yet still get a nice blur in the background. I've been using a 50 1.8 and just rescently got a tamron 17-50 2.8 non IS. For the shoot i will be using a 70-200 F/4L non IS. Using a Canon T2i(550D)

Can someone with expertise in group photo portraits kindly chime in and help me out on this? The details i would like to get is what Aperature/focal length should i use to get the desired effect without blurring one out? How far should i stand in order to get them all in focus? What type of focusing meter should i use for example, evaluate metering, partial metering, spot, center weghted? I've looked at some of those online DOF calcuators and they dont seem to make much sense to me. Any help will be appreciated!

oh yeah, one last question. Since im outdoors would it be wise for me just to shoot in Av mode? i find myself taking a lot of inconsistent pictures in manual still :\ i am going to be getting a grey card for white balance also to help out.

 

[tirediron]

In no particular order: Poses: Your best bet here will be to search terms such as "Group portrait poses", "family portrait poses" etc on the 'net. I would also suggest having your "old ladie" [sic] do this so that she can point out poses that she likes. Really however, if it's just three young women, just have them do things together, stand there, look at you, stand there, talk, sit down...

Your focusing/DoF issues should be easy enough to solve. DoF is affected primarily by three things: Lens focal length, aperture and camera-to-subject distance. The longer the focal length, the LESS DoF you have at any given aperture. The smaller the aperture (larger f#) the MORE DoF you have at any given distance, and the farther the subjects are from the camera, the greater the DoF.

Try and have the subjects on a similar plane, that is, arranged such that their faces are all about the same distance from the camera. Consult the DoF calculator here to determine what suitable settings are. For instance, if you use a focal-length of 135mm, an aperture of f11 and stand 20' from the subjects you have almost 3' (2.8 to be exact) of sharply focused area in which to work. That should be lots!
As for settings, I would use evaluative metering and either Av/Tv/Manual - for a situation like this it doesn't matter, BUT make sure you use a shutter-speed suitable for the lens; in this case a minimum of 1/250.

 

[MLeeK]

First-the term "old lady" is highly offensive. I assume you mean wife or girlfriend.

For posing surf along on flickr and you'll see loads of stuff to give you ideas.

For focus-don't shoot at f/1.8. Shoot at about f/4 to f/7 to insure everyone is in focus. Maintain a proper shutter speed. If they are posing and standing still you can drop below 1/250 but I don't recommend anything under 1/125 hand held ever and if you aren't the steadiest shot stay above. If they are moving the 1/250 is a pretty fair guideline. If they are moving fast you may need to go even higher to stop motion blur.

 

[tirediron]

...If they are posing and standing still you can drop below 1/250 but I don't recommend anything under 1/125 hand held ever and if you aren't the steadiest shot stay above. If they are moving the 1/250 is a pretty fair guideline. If they are moving fast you may need to go even higher to stop motion blur.

FWIW - the 1/250 reccomendation was based on the fact that the OP indicated he would be using a 70-200 lens, and my feeling that based on his level of experience, faster was better.

 

[MLeeK]

...If they are posing and standing still you can drop below 1/250 but I don't recommend anything under 1/125 hand held ever and if you aren't the steadiest shot stay above. If they are moving the 1/250 is a pretty fair guideline. If they are moving fast you may need to go even higher to stop motion blur.

FWIW - the 1/250 reccomendation was based on the fact that the OP indicated he would be using a 70-200 lens, and my feeling that based on his level of experience, faster was better.

Absolutely right. I thought I read 50mm f/1.8 somewhere. Probably my speed reading tactics-again.

 

[table1349]

Understanding Depth of Field in Photography

 

[ceejtank]

First-the term "old lady" is highly offensive. I assume you mean wife or girlfriend.

Offensive is relative.

Poses are fun. I'd say just get some you definitely want, and then just free flow from there.

 

[pixmedic]

First-the term "old lady" is highly offensive. I assume you mean wife or girlfriend.

really? well, I suppose you cant do much without offending someone anymore. I've always considered "old lady" more of a pet name, or a term of endearment, typically reserved for couples that have been together a long time. It's not like he called her "that ***** I live with". For instance, you might notice that I often refer to my wife, but rarely by her name. I almost always refer to her as "The Wife". And the child is "The Monster" (hes 3) (The wife calls him "Boober") Neither of us consider either of them insulting or degrading, or I obviously wouldn't use them. Maybe we just aren't easily offended, understand the intent in which they are used, or have become too complacent in our 18 years together. I gather that the OP meant no offense by the statement.

 

[ceejtank]

Old lady is a term of endearment in motorcycle gangs.

 

[Derrel]

I'd procure a half-dozen lemons, same number of limes, two fifths of tequila, a salt shaker, at least 2 liters of Squirt, three,no, NINE shot glasses, your flash with fresh batteries, and a cheap painter's drop cloth from Home Depot. Throw in a quart of Wesson pure vegetable oil, and two freshly-formatted 8-gig memory cards, and you'll be all set, for anything! PS--and make SURE TO put a UV (protective) filter on the LENS!!!!

 

[amolitor]

That's for ULTRA VIXEN protection.

 

[Derrel]

That's for ULTRA VIXEN protection.

What's with the sexual innuendo,dude??? I was just trying to make sure he had a fun,safe 3-girl group shoot...he needs to have fun, but also to keep the lens safe...this is no laughing matter; with THAT much tequila and that amount of oil, the chances for a mishap with an unprotected lens go wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy up...

 

[amolitor]

That's for ULTRA VIXEN protection.

What's with the sexual innuendo,dude??? I was just trying to make sure he had a fun,safe 3-girl group shoot...he needs to have fun, but also to keep the lens safe...

What innuendo? I just want to make sure that his lens is safe from very large foxes.

 

[spacefuzz]

That's for ULTRA VIXEN protection.

What's with the sexual innuendo,dude??? I was just trying to make sure he had a fun,safe 3-girl group shoot...he needs to have fun, but also to keep the lens safe...this is no laughing matter; with THAT much tequila and that amount of oil, the chances for a mishap with an unprotected lens go wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy up...

He should also make sure he isnt using one of those canons that causes a rash. That could be....awkward.

 

[651stp]

lol guys, you guys are too funny. i address her as my old lady cuz we've been together for over 8 yrs. its just a word xD everyone can relax no offense intended. Thanks for all the comments. I will look into all the information stuff that you all posted and use your recommendations. If anyone else has more they'd like to add on top of whats already been said that'd be appreciated. I'll read it all and soak everything i can before the shoot. thanks TPF!