Tips for a casual mini-extended family shoot

[MonteMama]

A friend asked me to do an informal shoot for her family. It will be two sets of parents, one with one 2yo, one with a 2yo and a baby, and a grandfather. We'll be outdoors, with a casual feel, i.e. sitting in the grass in casual clothes.

I've only done one other group shoot - a family of 4 - and am a little nervous about this.

I'm concerned about getting the right DOF and getting everyone in focus, assuming they won't all be standing in a straight line. If some are sitting and some are standing... where do I focus? Any tips for how to arrange them?

I wish I had better questions to ask... any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Lyncca]

You will probably want to shoot with your aperature at f8 or 11 with a larger group. I'm still trying to get the hang of more than a couple of people myself. It is hard to get them all posed properly without someone sticking out

As far as casual, I like everyone barefoot

 

[Pure Captures]

If they're all on the same plane, it doesn't matter if they're sitting or standing, just focus on someone's eyes.
If there are two groups, one closer than the other, focus on the closer group with enough DOF to make the back look good too.
If there is a range of distances, try to focus on someone about 1/3 of the way in (depth of field extends twice as far past the focus point as it does coming back toward the camera).