Shooting a group of women. Need some advice.

I'll be using 2 60" Eclipse white umbrellas and a pair of D-Lite 4's.

Rather than disguising the chairs or blending them in or other such things to try to make them "invisible" or not noticeable, the approach that I would favor is to use chairs such as wooden high-back arm chairs (or even rockers if they were appropriate). The chairs would not steal the scene and yet be visible enough so that one could see that they are sitting on something solid and not using an "air" chair. The tall chair backs are also a convenient place for someone standing to rest a hand.

cdifoto wrote in post #5933512
How big was your umbrella on that group?

I think its a profoto .85m white which would be what almost 34 inches?

TMR Design wrote in post #5933543
I'll be using 2 60" Eclipse white umbrellas and a pair of D-Lite 4's.

Sounds like a plan to me. Will you be using the environment also (dragging the shutter) ?

airfrogusmc wrote in post #5934942
I think its a profoto .85m white which would be what almost 34 inches?

Hmm is that all? Seems rather small for a group that size but the coverage is nice to my eyes. Makes me feel even more confident about the two 60" I'll be ordering. I prefer softboxes but ditched my studio strobe awhile back and have nothing but hot shoe flashes now...and really don't want to get into anything less portable again. I need head to toe though so that's why I'm thinking 60" is what I need rather than the 36" I already have.

airfrogusmc wrote in post #5934964
Sounds like a plan to me. Will you be using the environment also (dragging the shutter) ?

I'm going to be going to the location in advance to check it out. My understanding is that they decided to do it at one of their homes and I was told there are shaded areas in the back yard.

cdifoto wrote in post #5935039
Hmm is that all? Seems rather small for a group that size but the coverage is nice to my eyes. Makes me feel even more confident about the two 60" I'll be ordering. I prefer softboxes but ditched my studio strobe awhile back and have nothing but hot shoe flashes now...and really don't want to get into anything less portable again. I need head to toe though so that's why I'm thinking 60" is what I need rather than the 36" I already have.

If I were in a studio it would have been two lights on the group and a b/g light. I usually prefer umbrellas for groups but usually shoot singles and couples with a large soft box in close and a reflector for fill and a light on the b/g and in the studio a hair light when appropriate.

I had to set up in a hallway that was just wide enough to accommodate the width of my b/g. I set up to do formal head shots and they spring the groups on me. I had no time because a couple of the Drs had to see patients so I swapped out the softbox for the umbrella added a couple chairs and squeezed everyone in.

Worked out pretty well, IMHO. I'm still surprised at the coverage you got. I suppose some of it is a result of spill bouncing off the hallway walls...?

Yeah the walls were white and there was the LOW ceiling. I was kinda hope'n for some bounce from the walls and ceiling. I didn't bring any larger umbrellas cause I really didn't think I'd be doing large groups. Seems like the same lesson I have been learning for years. I almost didn't bring an umbrella at all.

TMR Design wrote in post #5935075
I'm going to be going to the location in advance to check it out. My understanding is that they decided to do it at one of their homes and I was told there are shaded areas in the back yard.

Good luck...

Can we see the results?

You will surely see the results. The shoot is in the first week of August.