Please help me setup a shot - Three 50-something sisters

Will have the wife's 2 sisters over for dinner tomorrow. They've asked for a sisters portrait. Setup ideas more than welcome! Here's what we have to work with:

5D2 and 35L & 85L lenses; tripod/remote shutter release; backdrops; Elinchrom D-Lite kit; large (32x40" or so) and small (25" square) softboxes; (2) reflectors; area to shoot is plenty large enough but only 8' ceilings.

I expect to shoot pretty tight shots as one sister is pretty heavy, but may do full length as well with one sister in a pub-height chair and other two behind. Also, the girls aren't 25 anymore, so I'm kind of concerned about using light to 'soften' the images and flatter as opposed to lots of light and excruciatingly sharp, see every last detail, if you know what I mean.

Hope this is enough info to lend some recommendations on shooting a beautiful portrait for my wife and her sisters. Come heck or high water, I'll get a few good ones. Hopefully, we can talk about processing them later.

dave

If they will be somewhat close together, I might try a type of clamshell lighting using umbrellas. I tried moving the lighting off to the side once and from now one with an older person I think head with the lighting may be a better choice.

Thorrulz wrote in post #13629676
If they will be somewhat close together, I might try a type of clamshell lighting using umbrellas. I tried moving the lighting off to the side once and from now one with an older person I think head with the lighting may be a better choice.

Good recommendation. Turns out the girls didn't dress for a portrait today and we set another date. I'll try the higher light and reflector in front and below. Thanks for the idea.

dave