HELP How to photograph 55 people???????????

I have been ask to photograph a family group of about 55. Does any one have
any ideas, suggestions or help of any kind. I am thinking of outdoors in an open yard with me on a ladder with the group looking slightly up at me. I have an new xti and canon zoom 24-70 2:8

The only wider lens I have is 18-55 3:5- 5:6.
Think this will work?

Maybe consider using a wider lens, too. That's a big group!

Find a large public building with lots of steps?

I'm only half kidding...

Wide lens, a set of steps or bleechers, or climb a ladder for a different perspective but definately get a wide lens 24mm isn't wide enough unless you plan on being a good distance away from the group.

Do you think 18-55 is enough ( thats as wide as i\I have}

what about using your 24-70 for the outdoor photo, but you take it from the 2nd floor or roof of a house? A photographer did something similar with one of my company meetings. We were about 500 people and he took it from a 10th floor balcony . . . he had a much longer zoom, but I figured you could do something similar, since you have a smaller group and a shorter zoom.

Tripod, 24-70 @ 24mm.... stop her down to f/11 and get everyone to smile =)

markubig wrote in post #2437972
what about using your 24-70 for the outdoor photo, but you take it from the 2nd floor or roof of a house? A photographer did something similar with one of my company meetings. We were about 500 people and he took it from a 10th floor balcony . . . he had a much longer zoom, but I figured you could do something similar, since you have a smaller group and a shorter zoom.

That's a good idea!

Don't take it indoors. Large groups are tricky, but you still want to show off your creativity.

Try and search through here, google, or flickr for large groups maybe you'll find somethign that sparks your interest.

This was a high school music group pic taken back in 2001 (I'm on the right side, 5th person down) in which the person that took the shot was standing on the top row of the football stands, shooting down at us where we were standing on the backside of the stands.

I was working with a high school music program at the time, and this was a shot for the CD we were creating.

It's not the best of pics (somewhere I have a better one), but you get the idea of what we did with our numbers.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/Wildabeast71

Wsman2 wrote in post #2439633
This was a high school music group pic taken back in 2001 (I'm on the right side, 5th person down) in which the person that took the shot was standing on the top row of the football stands, shooting down at us where we were standing on the backside of the stands.

I was working with a high school music program at the time, and this was a shot for the CD we were creating.

It's not the best of pics (somewhere I have a better one), but you get the idea of what we did with our numbers.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/Wildabeast71

If you have access to steps, or even some slope, maybe at a park, it might help.

How about shooting all 55 one at a time? Just kidding that would take forever, I really like what Wsman posted above. This allows you to get everyone in the shot without having ones head obstructed of cut off by another.

Be sure to post your shot of the 55, we would love to see it.

break up the group along logical lines or just hope for the best with a wide lens. I'd break it up to familial relations.