Group Shots - 30+ please

<p>Hello,<br>

I'm hoping you can assist me with this question! What type of lens would you use during wedding portraits for a group of 30+ people? The most I've had in a group is 10 or so and I used a Sigma 24-70mm for this. Would you recommended using the same lens or something different? Your input is great appreciated.<br>

Thanks!</p>

<p>While it's tempting to use the widest angle lens you have, it will distort the shapes of the heads of those at the edges of the groups in an unflattering way. Try to use a lens close to the "normal" focal length -- 50mm for a full-frame camera -- and back up if necessary. I understand if you're indoors you may have to compromise but the wider angle the lens, the more likely you are to get egg-shaped heads.</p>

<p>Henry Posner<br /><strong>B&H Photo-Video</strong></p>

<p>Patrick,</p>

<p>This is one of those questions that doesn't really have an answer — not a single, right answer in all circumstances. But in the end this isn't as complicated as you might think, because you probably won't have as many options as you'd like.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>You didn't mention whether you're body is full-frame or APS-C and that of course makes a difference to the effective field of view of your 24–70 lens. I'd say your options are basically: tele, normal, wide and very wide, where:</p>

<ul>

<li>tele = >70mm on full frame, >50mm on APS-C</li>

<li>"normal" = 50mm on full frame, 35mm on APS-C</li>

<li>wide = 30–40mm on full frame, 25-30 on APS-C</li>

<li>very wide =</li>

</ul>

<p>That's not drawn from the Bureau of Standards! Just meant to provide a very rough idea. I might say that, regardless of the sensor size of your camera, your 24-70 will probably do the job somewhere in its focal range. </p>

<p>Now, it would be nice to use a tele lens to photograph a group for the reasons Harry P. already mentioned: tele lens will provide least distortion (and being back from the group will provide max depth of field so everybody in every row of the group will be nicely in focus). But of course to use tele focal length to photograph a wide group of people you've got to back up a good ways. When possible I shot large groups either outside OR in very large indoor spaces like gymnasia or reception halls. </p>

<p>And if you can't back up far enough to use something like short telephoto focal length? Then you adjust your focal length, going as wide as you need to. With your zoom lens, this won't be hard. Arrange the group, put your camera on a tripod as far back as you can (mindful of other considerations like lighting) and make sure everybody is in the shot.</p>

<p>•</p>

<p>Hope a few other thoughts won't be out of line.</p>

<p>Always very good idea to make sure that there's a fair bit of EXTRA room in the shot. So zoom out enough to get everybody in the shot, and then zoom out a little further to leave a fair bit of "margin", even if it means including uninteresting stuff in the shot. Two benefits of doing this are:</p>

<ul>

<li>Allows for cropping the shot to different sizes.</li>

<li>Allows for correction of perspectival distortion, if necessary. (I use DxO ViewPoint for this but you can do it right in Lightroom pretty well and there are plenty of other apps that will help you do it too.)</li>

</ul>

<p>Be mindful of aperture and depth of field (DOF) here — and how relationship between aperture and the distance to focal plane affects DOF. If you've just been shooting individual or very small group shots, your camera might be set to f/2.8 (giving minimum DOF for whatever focal length). If the focal length is short enough and/or you're far enough away from the center of the group, f/2.8 may provide enough DOF to keep everybody reasonably in focus. But this is something to be aware of. I recall some group shots I took where the camera was in tight on the group, I was pretty close and focused on the bride and groom in the front row — and the aunts and uncles in the third row were starting to get a bit fuzzy, even fuzzier than uncles are wont to get at weddings. If you've got plenty of light, then by all means don't feel you need to shoot groups at f/2.8!</p>

<p>Even if you don't use a tripod regularly, you'll find one useful here — tripod + hand-held remote. You'll want to frame the shot and then (trusting that subjects aren't wandering in and out of the frame) stand aside from the camera and LOOK at the group. Click the shot using your hand-held remote when you sense the moment is right.</p>

<p>Take at least three shots in fairly quick succession. This will maximize your chances of getting everybody's eyes open in the same shot.</p>

<p>The Baby Problem: Tell parents NOT to look at their fussy babies but instead to keep looking at your or the camera. When the baby stops fussing for half a sec, then it's up to YOU to react and take the shot. But if the parents are looking down at the baby at that moment, well, baby's looking at camera but Mom or Dad is not. </p>

<p>Good luck,</p>

<p>Will</p>

<p>Will,<br>

Your post is extremely helpful! Thank you for all the great advice! Just an FYI, I'm shooting with a Canon T6i. I'll possible be purchasing a Canon 30D or 40D as well (if that helps.)<br>

Harry,<br>

Thanks a ton for your response!</p>

<p>Longer than normal focal lengths probably give somewhat better image quality on APS-C than wide angles, but this depends on the specific lens. With 30+ people in the shot, image sharpness starts to become relevant for the final use of the image. I'm not familiar with the Sigma 24-70 specificallym but it is common that wide angles show some field curvature (i.e. the focus is not sharpest in a plane, but some curved surface). This is something that the photographer needs to be aware of when photographing large groups. Focus on the right spot (simplest may be to focus on the couple but this may not lead to the best sharpness of the people in other rows or near the periphery of the group) and stop down sufficiently. On a lens with minimal field curvature, I find that f/4 can be sufficient on 35mm full frame to get everyone sharp in a group of approximately that size. If it is a cramped space and people have to be arranged in multiple rows then maybe f/5.6 or even f/8 is needed. I think f/4 should be sufficient on APS-C as a starting point, but if your lens does have field curvature or if your arrangement geometry includes people at different distances (more 3D shape) then you may want to stop down to f/5.6 depending on the geometry. This is something to experiment with to get to know your lens and of course what you should use depends on how much light you have available as well. I would not start with f/2.8 if you want even sharpness across the group.</p>

<p>More specifically about the choice of focal length. Personally I tend to go with relatively short focal lengths because I want to be close to the subjects so that I can communicate with them more easily. If I need to shout at the subjects it is just not likely to work well. Also if you need to use lighting, by use of wide angles one can more easily use soft light on the subjects and keep the lighting apparatus out of the frame. If you leave enough margin around the edges of the image, wide angle settings should not produce too much distortion, but I guess what is "too much" is very subjective. With your lens and sensor, I don't think "too wide" is likely to happen. Do remember to leave out some empty space around the edges of the group so that you can adjust the crop if needed, but not so much that image sharpness suffers.</p>