How do I take a good group photo?
Tip 1: ensure sharp faces and a blurry background
A good portrait focuses on the face. Make sure all faces in the family portrait are visible and in focus. You can use a relatively large aperture for this, such as f/5.0. The background becomes slightly blurred and the people in the foreground remain sharp. Just make sure everyone is in a row. Are people lined up in multiple rows? Increase the aperture number to f/6.3 or even f/8.0, for example.
Tip 2: choose a natural lighting
It's best to work with natural lighting. Ask everyone to go outside for the photo. Depending on the time, this will provide natural lighting for an even lighting for your photo. Is the sun out? Have the sunlight fall onto the faces. Take photos inside if the weather is bad. You can use extra lights to illuminate the group without them being in the way. Use a softbox for even and soft lighting.
Tip 3: stand on an elevation
If you stand right in front of the group, you might not always be able to capture everyone in one photo. If you stand on an elevation that allows you to be taller than your 'models', you can create more space for the image. Everyone will probably fit in the photo that way. For example, bring your kitchen steps to stand on. An elevation like a bench in the park will often work too. If you have a tall tripod, you can also place the camera on that.
Tip 4: think about the positioning of the group
A photo will easily become boring when everyone lines up. Have a couple of people sit down or bend through their knees a little. This will provide a more interesting composition. You can also choose to not have the models pose, but just let them do their thing while you take photos. Let children play and adults talk to each other. Or let everyone stand in a way they came up with themselves. This will make the group photo less boring.
Tip 5: use attributes
Not everyone likes to have their picture taken. To make people feel comfortable with being photographed, you can use attributes. That way, everyone will focus on something else instead of the photographer. For example, let children play with toys. You can ask adults to make a toast with champagne. A pet is often a good way to distract everyone to capture people looking relaxed.
Tip 6: choose clothes based on the background
If you have something to say about the clothes choice of your models, make sure that everyone will dress in a similar or number of colors and prints. Too many different colors will cause chaos. The photo will be more fun to look at if everyone matches. Make sure the background matches the clothes of your models too.
