Lighting Setup for Family/Group Portraits

What's your preferred one or two light setup for indoor/outdoor family/group portraits (5-15 people)?

If "indoors" gets cramped and has white walls and ceiling, I'd bounce what I have from the wall behind me.

Keep your inverse square law in mind, do your math and also think about modifier relevance at the given or needed setup i.e. subject distance. A 1x1m softbox gives soft light for a head shot but placing it far enough, to light 15 folks kind of evenly, makes it pretty small.

 

Since your name suggests a team of 2: Do some yardwork, camera on manual on a tripod and move face #2 to remote corners of your group arrangement to check out what might work or could be handled later in post.

 

I am logistically limited to a backpack so I might just pack a Yongnuo with ringflash converter, if I 'll have to fill a group shot.

+1 on bouncing off the back wall or ceiling.

BUT you want a WHITE or close to white wall, NOT a colored wall, as the reflected light will be the color of the wall. I don't bounce in a red painted restaurant, for this reason.

A white bed sheet behind you makes a good white reflector, if the wall behind you is colored or obstructed.

Do a dry run first, before you have the actual shoot, to make sure you know what you will get.

 

For a small group, you can use a LARGE umbrella or softbox, but they get bulky and is a hassle and hazard to deal with in a small space.

 

Outside, is MUCH harder.

Direct flash is the only option that I can think of.

With 2 flashes, you NEED to be aware of how the shadow will be cast from the people in the front row onto the people in the back row. I made that mistake once :(

With rows of people I prefer a single flash above my head. So that the flash will illuminate what the lens will see, and avoid the shadow on the 2nd row problem.

A small group is much easier to deal with for multiple lights.

Again, do a dry run with some friends/family, to test and work this out.

We do all outdoor portraits in very bright lighting in Maui, Hawaii. For larger groups, we use two strobes, one on each side of the group out of the frame. We have found constant lights just don't do the job, at least in our outdoor lighting environment.

Group shots of any size I always use two lights to creat a main and full light. How exactly you do this is up to you. Controlling the shadows created by your main light is very important. Outdoors you can use the available light as your fill light.