Tips for group portrait photography

Because there are many subjects in group portrait photography, shooting such subjects will be different from shooting a single portrait. Let's take a look at what skills you need to master to take a good group photo.

1. Small aperture and continuous shooting mode.

When taking a group photo, don't forget to narrow the aperture in order to ensure that everyone's face is clear and sharp. Try shooting with F8- 16. Otherwise, if the aperture is too large, some faces on the edge of the picture may be blurred.

Moreover, continuous shooting mode is recommended, because many people will inevitably encounter blinking, improper movements or weird facial expressions. So you can take several continuous shooting shots at a time, and then you can choose the perfect one as the result. If unfortunately there is no "perfection", at least "materials" can be spelled "perfection".

2. Pay attention to the height difference between the characters.

Although the composition of everyone standing in a row is also good, if there is a height difference, it can make the picture more layered.

This is the most basic composition method in group portrait shooting, especially when shooting family portraits. If you find that your children are about the same height and your parents are much taller, try the standing posture in the above picture to make the shooting look more natural and relaxed.

Stairs, slopes and other places with little difference in height are good choices for group shooting.

In the case that the height of the subject is not much different, if you can stand on the uneven ground such as stairs and slopes, you can of course achieve the effect relatively simply. If you stand on the flat ground to shoot, please squat or squat in the front row if necessary, so that the tall man standing behind can also show his full face.

Before you press the shutter, you'd better scan it again to see if you can see everyone's face.

3. Let the subject naturally put down the performance.

Sometimes casual and relaxing activities can make everyone behave more naturally. If the group photo in the queue feels dull, the natural and open composition is certainly a good choice, but it will test the photographer's guiding ability. If you meet people who like to try different shooting styles, photographers can use all their imaginations, break away from the shackles of tradition, and set up scenes for everyone to run to the camera, jump on the beach, walk home after school, brainstorm in group meetings and so on.

Pay attention to the light

In the light part, if shooting outdoors, it is best to avoid shooting in an environment with very strong sunlight. On the one hand, it is easy to leave unnatural shadows on people's faces, on the other hand, it is easy to make the subject feel tired or heatstroke when the temperature is high.

If you shoot indoors, you are inexperienced. A friend may choose to set up a shed lamp, but this often leads to the result that the person close to the lamp is too bright and the person farthest from the lamp is too dark. There are also some novices who stand the lamp too close to the subject, causing someone's shadow to be reflected on the person next door. When shooting indoor group portraits, if you want to use shed lights, please use more than one to ensure that the light on everyone is uniform. Furthermore, the position of the shed lamp should be placed near the camera and keep a certain distance from the subject.

If the distance between people is too large, sometimes the picture will appear loose. When taking a group photo, there is often a state of "giving and receiving", which may be better in family photos, but such an "embarrassing" feeling often occurs when taking a group photo of a company unit or a student. At first, everyone stood together and stood very open, which made the picture look loose and had no sense of team. In this case, as a photographer, you need to speak and coordinate. If you have enough time, you may be able to reduce the embarrassment among photographers through some simple group games before shooting.

5. Show the photographer's confidence and professionalism

It's normal for many people to get together to take pictures, and it's normal for chaos to occur. At this time, the photographer should show your confidence, control the scene with a professional eye, and tell everyone how to stand, where to stand, who to change positions with, who to go forward, and so on. And guide everyone into the shooting state, which also saves them time to argue.

6. Use triangle composition skills

Whether in photography or painting, triangle composition is a good composition method. Triangular composition is a common composition criterion in photographic painting composition, which is not only useful in shooting objects, but also very practical in group portraits. The triangle formed by the face of the employer or the posture of the employer is a reference structure.

7. Vividness of holding the ball

Sometimes it is too intense or not suitable for children's movements, which may lead to strange facial expressions of characters. When taking a group photo, trying some dynamic postures can really make the photo look vivid, but when pursuing natural dynamics, don't forget to consider safety factors, especially when the subject has children. If some movements are difficult for children, it may not only cause strange picture effects (children's expressions are uncomfortable, etc.). ), and even cause harm.