Man in the middle...what to do?

Got a little dilemma...I'm having a BBQ tomorrow and having some friends over. It's a small affair...6 guests. This will be the first time, however, that the six (along with my wife and I) have gotten together. We have all, at one point or another, have gotten together. However, this is the first time for the entire crew. So, I want to capture the moment and some of the candid stuff. However, what I want to avoid is the typical group shots. I want to get some interesting shots of people interacting. I always feel like I'm ruining the occaison by clicking away. I also want to have fun.

So...to those that entertain, how do you do it? How do you balance the entertaining part and capturing the moment without going overboard?

You probably have to make a choice between whether you want to be a good host or a good photographer. It is pretty difficult to do both well.

Getting a group shot of 8 people without looking posed can be difficult. The easiest time may be if you get everybody seated for a meal at a long narrow table and shoot from either the head or the foot of the table. Say something interesting (not "Say cheese) to get them to look towards you just before you shoot.

Plan B is to get everyone so drunk they become incoherent. Then you can just stack them any way you want for the photo.

Find a friend who is capable and willing to come over capture the moments for you for a good meal and some drinks.

Maybe someone on this forum might be just that person.

I just got the TC-80N3 timer remote. I was thinking of setting it up to take a photo every 1 or 2 minutes using a wide angle lens pre-focused on the patio with a large DOF. Haven't had a chance to try it though.

Drew

And the TC-80N3 will not demand food and drinks too. Just joking.

I would stage and pose the whole group down to the last detail, trying to get the composition right and in the end pass it off as candid.

I've had good success at family gatherings setting the camera up on a tripod and passing the remote control around. This gives everyone a chance to surprise the others by taking shots at funny moments.

You'd probably need to supplement these with a staged group shot. I like the TC-80N3 idea from drparker above, wanted to do this for some time myself.

solution...I got hammered. Wife was the photog.

Lets see some of the pics.

Good lad!

That's always worked for me (kidding )