Need tips on shooting large family portrait outside

[eric1170]

Hi all,

Can anyone give me some tips on shooting a large family portrait outside? I will be using natural lighting with maybe a 39x72 light panel for some fill light. I'm concerned with ensuring that the background subjects are in focus with the foreground subjects and always struggle with this. I'm sure I can achieve this with a higher f-stop, but I'm concerned if I set the f-stop too high I'll underexpose the picture. What should I do in a situation like that? Should I use the A-DEP setting on the camera? Also, any tips for which metering mode I should use on the camera?

I'm shooting with a 40D and 24-105L.

Thanks all,
Eric

[Tixeon]

You could use a higher f/stop (such as f/11 or f/16) and a longer shutter speed to match. Oh yeah, a tripod too. Set the camera for aperture priority & let the shutter speed set itself is one of the simplest approaches.

Welcome to POTN

[linarms]

I'm doing one of these today.

My plan is to get a good ambient exposure in M (probably f/8 or f/11), then add flash with FEC that works for the scene, then get a LOT of shots. Hopefully one of them will look good (i.e. for everyone) :)

[snapmando]

Large Family Portraits can be a chore, one person usually always gets caught with their eyes closed.

So, I got a tip for you that will rid you of this. Once you have everyone positioned where you want them, pre focus on the middle row. Make sure and use F11 or F16. This will insure that eventhough you pre focused on the middle row, the front and back row people will be in focus too. Like Tixeon said, use a Tripod..

Now tell them "We're gonna play a little game".

Ask everyone to close their eyes and smile, tell them, Only open them when I say to you. "Open"

Now your role once you say "Open", is to wait 2 seconds and then snap the picture.

This is a sure way of never taking a shot, with someones eyes closed.

After you take the shot, you can explain why you told them to do that.

BTW, this trick works all the time....

GoodLuck & Happy Holidays

[amironsi]

Large Family Portraits can be a chore, one person usually always gets caught with their eyes closed.

So, I got a tip for you that will rid you of this. Once you have everyone positioned where you want them, pre focus on the middle row. Make sure and use F11 or F16. This will insure that eventhough you pre focused on the middle row, the front and back row people will be in focus too. Like Tixeon said, use a Tripod..

Now tell them "We're gonna play a little game".

Ask everyone to close their eyes and smile, tell them, Only open them when I say to you. "Open"

Now your role once you say "Open", is to wait 2 seconds and then snap the picture.

This is a sure way of never taking a shot, with someones eyes closed.

After you take the shot, you can explain why you told them to do that.

BTW, this trick works all the time....

GoodLuck & Happy Holidays

that's a gr8 way man.. u could have told me 2 days earlier... :lol:

[snapmando]

Hahaha, Sorry...

Well, now you know....;-)

Your Wedding Group Shots, will be alot easier now.....