photographing a large group of people(200)

i have been asked to photograph a group of 200 people....it will be

in an arena with bleachers.... i have a nikon d70.....lens

include .....50mm... 28-105 mm... 75-240 mm ...18 - 70 mm... lights

i have c150- camray flash...c-300 ... g-800... need suggestions as to

how one would do this..... i have a few ideas but would welcome

others thoughts !!

Go outside. Rent a fork-lift to get you up in the air about 30 feet.

Rent or buy a 12mm or 14mm lens; or find a way to get a 4x5 camera to use. A D70 might be pushing it if you really want to see 200 faces in one image.

I would recommend using a fixed focal lens that is sharp but will not alter the perspective. If a lens is too wide it will alter it. I would use a 35mm fixed lens. Shoot at f16 or f22. Your on camera flash will have almost no effect. A slightly over cast day would be best. If it is very sunny you should get one powerful strobe to use as a fill light. You do need to get up off the ground; you should be level with the middle of the group. Make sure every one is arrange so the fill the frame and leave a bit of space around the edges. If they enlarge it up to an 8x10 or 11x14 your will loose some of your frame. With this size you group you will need an assistant to help your organize and keep everyone focused.

Good Luck.

There was an article in either Rangefinder or Professional Photographer sometime the past couple of months. I have not done 200 people but I did do the Minnesota Jazz Orchestra and this is what I did.

I took images of sections of the orchestra and pieced it together in PS.

You could do the same thing. Set up your stage for 10 people or so with the lighting, backdrop, method of seating people like bleachers, chairs, outdoors, whatever. Set up each group with a time, space them apart so you can relax and create some quality images. This may help so you don't have all two hundred breathing down your back at once. If they are in the lobby or somewhere nearby have some refreshments (no liquor as it will show when you create the images!) and snacks for those who are waiting. Keeping the above consistent, take each group then piecing them together in PS.

Just a thought to help you.

bill that's an interesting appraoch. I would love to see the image!

certainly a way to work around the resolution issue with the D70.

cheers

lucas

I have several thoughts on this subject. First, a cherry picker

would be alot safer then a forklift; it is too easy to fall or drop a

piece of equipment from the forklift and you might inadvertently

put your hand in a spot where it could get injured. Second, I

remember reading a description of a photographer who was

commissioned to photograph all of the representatives at the

UN. I may have read it in PDN or National Geographic. There

were three photographers; each one used a different format. If

anyone remembers the article maybe they can provide the link.

The photographer discussed several logistical problems and

one uncooperative individual who refused to get close the

others. So they went ahead with the shoot and PS'd him into the

correct position. Finally, there was another shoot at a warehouse

where the photographer discussed his problems and solutions.

He positioned himself high so that everyone had to look up; this

eliminated the problem of tiering everyone.

Lucas,

Just click on my name. The middle image that comes up is one of the Mn Jazz Orchestra. I only had PS Elements 2.0 when I did this.

Any thoughts on how to do better?

Thanks.

You definitely don't have the right lighting equipment and depending on how big the

resulting enlargement is going to be made you may not have the right camera as well.

You need to rent a lot of light , My experience is that to do the job well you'll need at least

two 2400 watt-second packs and four heads and four 2400 watt-second packs and four

heads will be a better combination. Using very large umbrellas or softboxes is also

recommended to soften the purpose of all of this light is to get an adequate depth of

field and even lighting across the group so that everyone is in focus and well exposed.

The purpose of the light modifiers is to create a more pleasing and even light. If you are

unfamiliar with how to use this equipment, hire an experienced assistant to take care of

the technical details and you concentrate on directing the people in the shot. This will also

include you directing the initial arrangement of people and tweaking individual's positions

as you start shooting. You'll need to set up the camera and then the lighting to make sure

that no one's face is likely to be buried in shadow and that the light is even from side to

side and from front to back. It will also help to have "wranglers" as I call them to help get

the people in position speedily and to make sure everyone's clothes look good.

Photographing an orchestra or military organization is not like photographing other

groups. Orchestras work as a disciplined collective and are used to taking directions and

sitting still for long periods of time. If the group is not an orchestra or a military group

you'll have very little time once you get started where everyone keeps their attention

focused on you and the process. if they are not used to being photographed regularly it

helps to explain what yo u will be doing and where you are at in the process.

If the image isn't going to be printed larger than 11'x14' then the D70 will probably be

fine. Shoot in the high bit depth NEF mode as you are likely to need to make image

adjustments before making the print. If you need to print larger than that, rent a Nikon

D2x or Canon EOs 1Ds mark II.

Read Danny Wong's suggestions on this thread.

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00B5iJ