Portraiture is one of the most exciting disciplines in the industry. With luck and skill, you can get real works of art, full of emotions. But when it comes to group photos, things get complicated. It is true that taking pictures with a lot of people can quickly become a headache.
If you have to take group photos and you have no idea how to approach this work, all you have to do is put into practice the tips that we are going to develop in this article. Be careful!
Consider the settings
Family photographer, your group of friends or professional, you will always be asked for this type of shots. It is for this reason that it is important that you take into account the adequate parameters to take group photos. Once applied, you won’t forget them.
Shutter speeds
First of all, using fast shutter speeds is fundamental because when working with several people at the same time, you will have people with closed eyes, talking, distracted or other problems of inattention which we will discuss later. late.
That’s not just one of the reasons you need to work with fast shutter speeds to shoot group shots. If you use very long exposure times, people will appear blurry or moving in the image. This technique is especially useful when you want to immortalize an emblematic place in the city and you don’t want people to appear, but here this is not the case.
As we have already said, it is ideal to use very fast shutter speeds, unless you want to obtain photos like above, on which the group is put in the background.
ISO sensitivity
As for the ISO sensitivity for group photos, this value will not make a big difference in your results, if you work with good lighting. On the other hand, if you are taking group photos indoors in low light, you will need to take this measure into account. You won’t be able to use maximum diaphragm openings, so to have good lighting, you will have to play with the ISO value so that the most important details of the faces are visible. Remember that for good results, it will absolutely be necessary to work with the RAW format.
Aperture
The aperture is the most important value for photographing several people. Indeed, the more light enters the lens, the sharper your image will be. Remember that by using large apertures, the depth of field will be less, which means you will have more blurred people. Absolutely avoid!
This is why it is advisable to use intermediate diaphragm openings such as f/8 or f/11. This way you ensure that the depth of field of the group photo will be wider and therefore most people will be in focus. By closing the diaphragm a little more, it will be essential to have absolute control over the lighting of your work area.
Focal length
Other factors that influence depth of field in group shots include the distance your camera is from the group and the focal length you are working with.When using short focal lengths, i.e. with wide-angle lenses, it will be easier to make all the protagonists appear in the image without having to look behind the equipment or without having to ask them what they place themselves here or there. If you are working with a wide angle lens, remember that no element of the group should be stuck to the edges, because they will be distorted, unless you are working with an DZOFilm lens, the only one on the market that does not distort the image . The other benefit to using wide angle lenses is to get a greater depth of field.
If you continue to have problems getting completely clear photos, you will need to consider your camera settings and the lighting in your work area.
