Need a lens for the 7D for large family portrait

i'd be way more concerned with lighting than a lens...indoors...you'l​l need to be stopped down a bit to get some DOF anyways, so i don't see the point of renting a fast lens...i'd want a couple off-camera flashes to light the people up though...

or convince them to go outside where things would be a million times easier...

also blurring the background in photoshop looks horrible

DreDaze wrote in post #15012326
also blurring the background in photoshop looks horrible

Yes if no blending modes are used and layers are not stacked and masked. People good at PS can get away with it. Strobes would be nice Broncolor 1600 watt with 3 heads would get er done just fine.

DreDaze wrote in post #15012326
or convince them to go outside where things would be a million times easier...

Exactly what I would suggest. Going to wide will result in distortion on the edges.
When you are outside it should be a breeze to pick a proper background that can be out of DOF. Take care not to overdo the thin DOF because you will want to have all family-members in focus.

DreDaze wrote in post #15012326
i'd be way more concerned with lighting than a lens

I am with Dre on this one. Shooting indoors without the right light is painful. See if where you are renting offers a flash or 3..lol Also i would get a little more flexibility a 16-35mm f2.8L is a great lens. Dont get me wrong i love me some primes but depending on the situation and where u are located in the house it may be a tight squeeze with just a 24mm.

sonek00 wrote in post #15012565
I am with Dre on this one. Shooting indoors without the right light is painful. See if where you are renting offers a flash or 3..lol Also i would get a little more flexibility a 16-35mm f2.8L is a great lens. Dont get me wrong i love me some primes but depending on the situation and where u are located in the house it may be a tight squeeze with just a 24mm.

I've shot bigger groups in a tight spot with 24/28mm, but that was outside, where I was able to stop down to f/5.6 or f/8. Of course, if it's sunny, you just need to be careful of the shadows on the face. Having them face away from the sun and adding artificial light as fill or key worked for me.

Unless you're in a palace, I think it's much nicer to shoot groups outside - especially with blues/greens as your background. Most indoor places have walls that match skin, so people don't really stand out.

Inside a house is difficult. The shot below was with a T4i and 18-135 STM lens, available light. Even with 18mm I was not able to back up enough to cover the whole table. This is a 4 shot stitch.

While it really is not technically an excellent shot because of variation in sharpness, the overall effect pleased the folks who got a copy. And it suited my own attempt to show the interplay and fun around the table.

I have a Canon 600 EX speedlite rented as well, so i'm ok as far as a flash. I have no idea how big/small the house is, so if you were going into a situation where you know it will be indoors, but you're not sure how much room you'll have to back up, a zoom lens would be a bit safer, right? .... my rental choices are:

http://www.uniquephoto​.com/rentals/

As for photoshop, i've used it for 15 yrs, so I can do the pretty blurred bgd when I need to in pp, but I'd prefer to do as much with the camera as possible to save some time, especially since i'm doing this shoot for free =)

An indoor portrait with blurred background sounds unnatural to me. Plus, if it's intended to be at the parent's house, I am going to venture a guess that being able to identify the environment would be an important aspect of the group portrait.

As for a lens suggestion, renting a 16-35 or 17-40 should do the trick. If you go too wide, there's going to be some distortion. Those lenses on a crop sensor would avoid distortion and encourage edge to edge sharpness.

jodi73 wrote in post #15014874
I have a Canon 600 EX speedlite rented as well, so i'm ok as far as a flash. I have no idea how big/small the house is, so if you were going into a situation where you know it will be indoors, but you're not sure how much room you'll have to back up, a zoom lens would be a bit safer, right? .... my rental choices are:

http://www.uniquephoto​.com/rentals/

As for photoshop, i've used it for 15 yrs, so I can do the pretty blurred bgd when I need to in pp, but I'd prefer to do as much with the camera as possible to save some time, especially since i'm doing this shoot for free =)

Without foreknowledge, I'd want the 10-22mm for the 7D and a flash reflector or sto-fen omni bounce. Test the set-up before you go.

Nathan...not too blurred...just softer to pop the people. Hopefully I can convince them to do it outside i/o inside.

jodi73 wrote in post #15011214
So far I only have the lens that came with it- 28-135mm

Speaking from experience, the 28-135 won't be wide enough on a crop body. The field of view at 28mm on a crop is equivalent to that of a 44mm lens on a full frame--much closer to the traditional 50mm normal lens FOV than a true wide angle. I'd recommend you go with the EF-S 10-22, and shoot at 22mm. It's not very fast, but the FOV is equivalent to 35mm on FF and won't introduce much distortion. The downside is that at that focal length, the 10-22 isn't fast, so you'll probably need supplemental light or a tripod or other stable platform for a longer exposure.

Is there no way you can shoot outside?

I put an email into my friend to ask.... I prefer outside photos in general, as nothing beats natural light, but her original request was for the typical extended family pic, on the couch, in front of the fireplace. I don't really want to rent 2 different lenses, so if she insists on indoors, i'll rent an indoor lens, then supplement some outdoor photos with my 50mm 1.4. I've shot low lit parties using the 600ex speedlight, so i'm hopeful that will be fine if it does, indeed turn out to be an indoor shoot.

You need to find out how many and what kind of people (elders, adults, kids, infants) are in the group.

It is imperative that you learn how to set up a group shot so that the most people can be accommodated with the least width. Google, setting up groups. Different ages require different ways of setting up groups. For instance, it is O.K to have kids kneel or sit in front of the group but don't expect grandma and grandpa to do that.

I would not use an UWA lens because of the distortion normal with UWA lenses. The distortion will both be at the edges and will be from front to back.

Find out where they anticiate shooting. Many homes, especially tract homes and apartments simply don't have the room to shoot a group.

Otherwise, scout the area for an outdoor location which has a nice background.

Google, shooting groups outdoors.

The 17-55mm f/2.8 IS is a great all around lens for a crop camera but, try not to shoot at its widest focal length.

Indoors, by all means bounce your flash - never shoot with direct flash. Use a reflector-diffuser to throw some of the light forward avoiding raccoon eyes and harsh shadows beneath noses and chins.

Outdoors, use fill flash. Don't have the people looking into the sun and squinting.

Actually, shooting a group of ten should not be particularly difficult. Always shoot multiple shots because sometimes you can remove bad expressions.

If you have a partner to work with you, it is great because he/she can look for prodlems such as closed eyes and the horns kids (and others) like to place behind peoples heads.

If you have a tripod and a remote release, it is very handy. Set up camera and then look directly at the group (not through viewfinder or LCD) shoot with a remote if you have one.

Suggestions for a 10-22 mean apertures of f/3.5 at 10mm and f/4.5 at 20mm. That's not going to give her much of any "blur".

Keep in mind, though Jodi, that wide angle lenses are going to give less blur anyway. That is, f/2.8 at wider focal lengths is not going to blur much. For a group shot, I think the best "pop" you will get will be from an f/2.8 lens... but don't expect a lot of separation from the background. Also consider how far is the group from the background, as that will impact the effect.

Have you seen the house or inquired about it? At least ask what they have in mind so that you can get a sense for planning purposes. They might say they really want to shot in front of the fireplace or on their grand staircase... these details will give you compositional direction and may influence your lense choice.

+1 with RPCrowe's suggestion for 17-55. I forgot about that lens since it's been a long time since I've considered EF-S lenses. If the sky is the limit, rent BOTH a Tokina 11-16 and a 17-55. You should have your group needs covered and get f2.8.

drzenitram wrote in post #15011204
(There's always the bernoulli effect if they're patient enough!)

I assume you mean the brenizer method?

advaitin wrote in post #15012021
Using flash will be a whole 'nother matter. Then you can experiment with your light falloff to black out your background,

This is going to require a very large room though. Think inverse square law. In order to evenly light the group, you will need to place the speedlite pretty far from the group say 20 feet depending on the size of the group. This also means the light fall beyond the subjects will take some distance before you lose a couple of stops of light to black the background out.

If I were doing this, I would pick a clean wall in the house to use as a background or use a background stand and backdrop. I would use two speedlights shooting through umbrellas in front of the group off to each side a little and I would use my 17-50/2.8. With only one speed light, I might either try bouncing off a white ceiling or backwards off a white wall bouncing back onto the family.

The carriage house in my back yard makes an excellent vintage/rustic background. Any chance of getting them outside and using something like that?

Edit:

Just read the part about the fireplace, which could make a nice background, but just don't expect it to get much blur given the situation. Take a few shots in front of the fireplace and then get them to go outside to take a few more and let then see and pick what they like best.