Lighting Setup..large wedding party. Advice? [Archive]

4mr4do4sho

29th of January 2009 (Thu), 16:13

Okay so I booked a wedding and the bride stated that there would be 10 bridesmaids and 10 groomsmen. What kind of setup should I use for this?:confused:

I was thinking one shoot thru umbrella on each side of the party (left and right), slightly above them at a 45 degree angle. I also need to figure out how I will pose this bunch of people!

What would you guys do for lighting and poses for this situation? I am going to visit the church to see how I would setup them up. I am assuming there are steps to the alter, so I'm thinking 5 people per step (tier) from each groom/bridesmaid party with bride/groom in the middle at the highest step.

Suggestions? Help!

Haru

29th of January 2009 (Thu), 18:55

Is it going to be inside or outside? If it is inside is the church bounce friendly? If outside do you have a way of keeping the umbrellas from flying away if the wind picks up? Once you get an idea of where they will be and how you will pose them, the lighting should be easy.

Edit: I would pose them like gangs from west side story, for my own entertainment...

tim

29th of January 2009 (Thu), 19:39

Do you have to shoot inside?

randplaty

29th of January 2009 (Thu), 20:34

Wow, that's insane...

Inside a church there's not going to be anything creative... just line them up and take a shot. A large umbrella should do the trick. That's no too large a group if you're treating it like family formals. Are you looking for something creative?

4mr4do4sho

29th of January 2009 (Thu), 20:57

Yes, we will be shooting inside. The ceilings are high. I am hoping to do both formal and "fun" pictures for them. The client wants a couple formals inside and then we will be traveling to the beachside for some more formals before their reception.

I have two 32" white shoot through umbrellas. Should I just get one large one?

tim

29th of January 2009 (Thu), 21:25

One umbrella each side of the photographer, not too close to the ends else the middle will be darker. If the ceiling's white you could try bouncing strobes from them, but in front of them so there's no shadows under the eyes, fill would be required.

4mr4do4sho

29th of January 2009 (Thu), 21:46

So, should each umbrella be facing forward directly at the parties or angled? I may need to draw this one out...

tim

30th of January 2009 (Fri), 03:55

If there are rows of people check out this post (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=7218525&postcount=9). If you use one umbrella at each end there'll be shadows on the people in the 2nd row, and fixing that in Photoshop's a pain in the butt. Trust me, I made that mistake at my 2nd wedding.

For a single row at each end is fine, put them slightly wider than the group and face them towards 1/3 in from each end. It doesn't much matter really, as long as the light hits them.

cdifoto

30th of January 2009 (Fri), 04:04

Do what Bella Pictures recommends. Slap a Sto-fen on your flash and aim it upwards...whether there's a ceiling or not! :D

Seriously though, a lot of your pain will be eased if you can get 'em outside. Let the daylight do most of the work. I know this ain't a party of 20 itself, but there's more people than that in this shot:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a304/cdifoto/wedding/2008-06-23-0739.jpg

4mr4do4sho

30th of January 2009 (Fri), 07:13

Thanks for your help guys. I am going to just do some quick pics in the church and get them to the beach as quick as possible. I'm sure they would rather have the fun shots at the beach anyway.:D

form

30th of January 2009 (Fri), 10:03

Never ignore the importance of any shot, including and especially formals. Someone will be very disappointed if you only give them a half effort.

I've done things similar to what tim said: two umbrellas facing out toward the edges of the row of people, and keeping it even can require an inward curve on the edges so they are at equal distance from the light source.

cdifoto

30th of January 2009 (Fri), 10:05

Never ignore the importance of any shot, including and especially formals. Someone will be very disappointed if you only give them a half effort.
Quick doesn't have to mean half-assed. No one likes to do the old-school formals, so making it quick is best for everyone. :D

4mr4do4sho

30th of January 2009 (Fri), 12:00

Quick doesn't have to mean half-assed. No one likes to do the old-school formals, so making it quick is best for everyone. :D

Yeah, I have 2 hours time between the ceremony and reception. I know time will fly (especially coordinating 22 people) and they probably dont want to do pictures the WHOLE time...but I will make sure to get everything they want.

and to keep it on topic... I will try yalls suggestions. Thanks for the help.

SYS

30th of January 2009 (Fri), 12:30

Has anyone used or seen someone else using a large diffusion panel for such group (be it wedding, sports team, etc.) shots indoors?

I'm thinking about Scott Smith's diffusion panel for group photography as seen in the below link. He calls it "kidpanel" but also uses it to shoot a group along with a softbox for fill:

http://www.lightingmagic.com/kidpanel.htm

cdifoto

30th of January 2009 (Fri), 12:37

Good luck hauling that beast around and setting it up when time is precious. It's not tall enough for the adults anyway.

SYS

30th of January 2009 (Fri), 12:55

Good luck hauling that beast around and setting it up when time is precious. It's not tall enough for the adults anyway.

Actually, it's easier to transport the diffusion panel than it looks, as the PVC tubes are detachable and the fabric is easier than taking your own bedsheet on and off. The height is also adjustable, short as you want, as tall as you need. Assembling and dissembling literally take about 5 minutes, which is arguably less than setting up softboxes or umbrellas. Once set up, it can easily be placed along a wall without getting in anyone's way when not being used.

But I'm not interested in the issue of transportability. I'm more interested in the "lighting" aspect of it.

SYS

30th of January 2009 (Fri), 13:14

harroz

30th of January 2009 (Fri), 23:16

Hmmm, looks like he was leaning to the right.

I can't see any reason/purpose really in using the panel if you have 2 lights with umbrellas already. as a diffusion panel from sun it wouldn't be big enough for a group.

cdifoto

30th of January 2009 (Fri), 23:18

I wasn't leaning. Everything else was.

howzitboy

5th of February 2009 (Thu), 01:23

id never have time to set up an umbrella so i just expose for interior and shoot away. my flash has wide angle adapter and the light covers enough for a party of 18 (max that can fit in one row at church i shoot at). if bigger group, i make 2+ lines then get a ladder and shoot down at them