Group photography

Here's a nuts-and-bolts explanation of some of the basic issues. Enjoy!

Large groups / Seeing everyone

There is little freedom for creativity here: your primary consideration is often just arranging it so everyone is visible*. The main difficulty is that organising a group can be tough. It can be like herding cats, and often there's an alpha-male, heckler, or a joker in the pack, plus someone who has better things to be doing, and someone who keeps saying how they unphotogenic they are, or how they hate having their picture taken. Perhaps an older person who feels the cold. A good group shot requires effort and can be hard work. You need to be focused and work quickly. All the while, you need to keep them on-side: keep talking, get them involved. Explain what you're doing, and what you need them to do. Keep them focused.

Usually, to see everyone will mean getting up high, so that people aren't hidden behind one other. Use a chair, table or ladder; lean out a window or stand on a roof if necessary. And just because someone can see you, it does not mean you can see them. Half a face and one eye peeking from behind someone makes for a disappointing result. Direct people individually so you can see them properly. But don't worry about babies and toddlers. They'll do their own thing anyway (although squeaky toys can help). It's more important to have their parents looking at you, so tell them to ignore the little ones too.

Small people go to the front, tall ones at the back and centre. Ensure everyone is close, then ask them to get closer. And then closer. It becomes easier once they have finally relinquished any idea of personal space. And fill the frame; there's no excuse for a loose composition here.

Everyone should be looking at the camera at the same time. I sometimes count down from three. You will always have "blinkers", so you can get everyone to close their eyes just beforehand, and take a few frames. 

Check the back of the camera. That's what it's there for. Keep everyone in position until you're sure you've got it right, then take a few more frames: the actual picture-taking time is often the quickest part of the process! Focusing should be on the people at the front, or just behind, depending on how 'deep' the group is. Naturally, you need the smallest aperture you can get away with. See what you can get away with at 100th/second.

"Cheese!" is an odious word. People smile through their eyes - not by raising the corners of their mouths - so you'll need to actually make them smile. If you've been chatting the whole way through and making it as entertaining and involved an experience as possible, then when you elicit the smile it won't be forced, but instead will be a natural conclusion to the process.

Groups of eight or more / Breaking it up

You have a little more freedom here as you can see a little more of everyone (rather than just faces). A straight line of people is hideous, though. So, break it up using different heights, perhaps having them sitting down or leaning. Use whatever furniture there is available, but it's easier still if you can use a bench, fence or steps to work with.

Have their hands folded, in their pockets, behind their back, or resting on the person in front (this last one helps 'link' them as a unified group, and can break up the formality).

Turn everyone at an angle (typically facing the centre). It gets them closer while allowing for a tighter, more interesting picture.

If possible, use depth to vary people's prominence. Offset key people, perhaps by having them set apart from the group, or right up front. Shy or reluctant people can go further back. 

The general idea here is to get as much variety in terms of poses and positioning as possible.

Groups of five or more / Attention to detail

You have a lot of choice here, both in arrangement and location. Backgrounds become more important (where with larger groups it is more a case of what space is available).

You may have heard the terms 'open' and 'closed'. Open groups have spaces between people, closed have people overlapping. The larger the group, the more closed it will be. The fewer people you have, it gives you the option of having a mixture of open and closed within the setup.

You also have few enough to pay attention to each person's position/posture individually. Ideally you start arranging from the centre and work outwards, or fit one or two people in the 'key' positions, and then add. The more people you place, the easier it is to position the next person.

Think of shapes to help work out interesting compositions if people can't sit or lean anywhere, or you're stuck for ideas. Can you arrange them into a diamond? Move them into a "V"? A diagonal line or arc, perhaps? And you can also think about how close you'll crop in, how close you can be. Even within one setup, you have a range of different crops and perspectives using different lenses or positions. Here's a few examples of what I mean:

I've opted for five people in these diagrams, but you can see from the larger group example (above right) that the number is not necessarily important. Many of these will work with three, four, seven or more people.

Groups of three or four / Freedom

You have very few limits here. Just choose your location, and work with the 'personality' of the group and the type of picture you're after. Here is a link to an earlier post I wrote about how I shot a group of four musicians; it's the second case-study, half-way down the page. 

*Actually this isn't always true. Sometimes you'll get lucky with your location: a spiral staircase with everyone leaning over, looking down at the camera can work. Or anything that acts like scaffolding, or angled staircases that naturally allow for people at different heights. Look at some wedding photographers' websites for ideas.