family/group poses at weddings - any good examples?

[teresa_m.1]

Hi everyone,

 

Half through the wedding season, I´m quite happy with my work so far, but there´s always one point that I´m a little

uneasy about: the family pictures.

Taking the pictures of the couple is always fun, but "directing" twenty to fifty chatting people, getting them to look

towards the camera etc. really feels like the most straining part of the day! As a consequence, my family pictures

tend to be boring, because I am too stressed out to think of anything special.

 

I have really enjoyed looking at websites and photos posted in this forum to get some inspiration - so I wanted to ask

you: do you have any photos or links for this particular matter? Fun, relaxed, different family/group pictures at

weddings?

 

Thanks in advance!

Teresa

[david_schilling___chicago_]

It's difficult to get fun and creative if you're attempting to shoot 20-50 people. You're best bet is to scrunch them in pretty tightly so you're able to see faces and recognize who's who. Here's an image with 21. After I took the typical shot I asked for a group hug and then asked for more "love".....got smiles and movement but note the one "grumpy Gus" just 2 people to the right of the groom :-)<div></div>

[jessica_almada]

Teresa, I totally agree with you, I feel your stress! I always just squeeze everyone in together tightly and have my second shooter taking shots too at a different angle and point of view. Sometimes those are better.

It's funny cause every time I point out that someone has a fake smile, then they all smile for real or laugh, then I get the shot.

 

David that's a great shot, I really dislike it when everyone is standing all erect and giving crooked fake smiles.

[russ_konrad]

You need to have them lighten up and have some fun:

<p>

<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3177/2343917409_655b89f619.jpg?v=0"

<p>

After they do something like that - the more formal poses are not so stiff. Everyone is more relaxed and natural.

[russ_konrad]

This shot was taken right after we took the fun one above:

<p>

<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2105/2136578854_1f4a9087d5.jpg?v=0">

[lindamccague]

Here's one of my "formals". :)<div></div>

[teresa_m.1]

Thanks a lot everybody, great examples!

[picturesque]

This has been addressed a couple of times before so you might look them up. As I said in those previous posts, with the family formals (not wedding party--I notice only one of the samples is family), it is very difficult to do something radically different since one of the purposes of these images is to show every person/face clearly, meaning with groups, one needs to have the people more or less on the same plane and compressed, so that you can show the faces as large as possible, which limits what you can do to some extent. Also, time constraints and accommodating older folk (physical limitations) can present problems.

 

Also, expectations and actually, goals for these images, on the part of the client, are basically for recording purposes (dreary as that may seem), so while you can have fun alternatives that don't deviate too much from the basic format, if you ignore the basic format in pursuit of artistic shots hoping to win wedding photography contests, you may be fulfilling your own needs and alleviating your own boredom over the client's needs. They aren't bored with them. The couple might say they are, and don't want a lot of posed, formals-type shots, but you will find that while you can find some that are really speaking the truth, most appreciate good, basic formals after the fact.

 

I don't mean to sound stern, but this is my experience over the years I've shot weddings, and I do shoot some light hearted shots (again, family shots, not wedding party).

[david_schilling___chicago_]

There's quite a difference between shooting a wedding party and shooting groups with 20-50 people in them.

[think27]

Like Russ - I also do a fun shot with each grouping.

 

First I do the boring formals ;-) and then I encourage everyone to gather round the couple and congratulate them and tell them how wonderful the ceremony was. (Often they've just left the church and have not had time to talk, hug, kiss etc...[oh and I don't do mine on the alter but outside..]. I shoot the fun stuff and even zoom in to fill the frame with people hamming it up or just laughing/talking/hugging and kissing and so on.

 

I love these shots - the couples love these shots too! They are great for breaking up the static stiff group shots in an album. Every two page spread holds at least one of these fun shots..

[kiva]

Here's one of my family shots I do every wedding with each family group.

 

The purpose of the shot is to allow the families to blow off a bit of tension and get them into a celebration mood.

 

After we get the "formal" I let them know we are going to do "The Yea Shot". I let them know that I will count to three and when I get to the number three they are to toss hands or any other body parts up into the air and yell loudly "Yea!) to start the celebration of the wedding that has just occurred.

 

I must say that I am continually surprised by the zest of the families ... it's as if they are looking for an excuse to just cut loose. Every grouping trys to out Yea the last group and by the end all are loose and smiling and ready to celebrate.

 

Yes, some families, it's rare, are not the "Yea" type but that's easy to figure out.

 

Here's a family group I thought was not going to feel comfortable but from the first attempt they were boisterous and loud. All groupings that followed made the church acoustics smile with Joy.<div></div>

[picturesque]

Yea, William. I do that too, but I make them do it over if there is a hand in front of someone's face. I demand louder yells, and the second time is always better.

[steve_c.5]

One thing I do to evoke some hand waving and excitement is to do a little "rap" to get them going (my personality works for this, and I do it with both white and black weddings). "Now throw your hands in the aaaaaair....and wave 'em like ya just don't caaaaare"! You can do many variations of this, but if you're just too white and nerdy, it may not work for you. Always fun, though.

 

I don't generally do this in a church, out of respect, but usually at a reception or outdoor location. I most always use a stepladder to get the higher angle, unless I'm in a church.

[think27]

Steve - Funny thing - I looked at Williams shot - which I think is really fun and I love it - but thought - hmmm I would not do this in a church. For me it is not a respect thing but it is just that the setting (an alter) doesn't match the mood of the shot which is why I also do these outside or at a reception. Then I read your comment. We seem to be on the same page often.

[picturesque]

I do it in a church but I tell the people to do so respectfully. I don't think energetic good feelings are forbidden in church. In some churches, yelling and screaming with joy are encouraged.

[kiva]

I enjoy doing the yea shot in churches and find that all clergy enjoy seeing the Joy in the family: Just as it Should Be, imo.

 

I think God would approve; yes, God would most definitely approve.

[david_schilling___chicago_]

I do the group hug shot at the altar with formals all the time....but, I still don't understand how this thread went from covering groups of 20-50 people to shooting formals of the wedding party???

[kiva]

hmmm, my photo has between 20 and 50 people and it's a family pose at a wedding so I think it's under the umbrella of the title of the thread.

 

Are the thread police watching! :-)

[david_schilling___chicago_]

Bill, You're right, there are two images in the thread that have 20-50 people in them. While I'm not trying to be the thread police, I believe that there is a huge difference between shooting formals of the wedding party and shooting the larger family groups and that this was the point of the OP's initial question.

 

Indeed, the bridal party typically understands that the formal photos are a part of the day and are rarely difficult to pose/shoot. I had a wedding party of 32, but shooting them after the ceremony at the alter wasn't much of a challenge. OTOH, collecting, directing, and shooting 20-50 guests/family/friends is a substantially different task....especially at a reception where there are multiple competing distractions and you may have to battle the effects of an "open bar". Your image illustrates two common problems with that type of shot: itty-bitty faces and obscured faces. While it's still a nice shot, it also serves as an example of the challenges inherrent in the poster's original question.

[kiva]

What one sees as a "problem" others can see as "family".

 

The "itty-bitty faces and obscured faces" are the epitome of "Family" imo Dave. It's the overall sense of Joy on

the "group" face at that moment that others enjoy.

 

I've already taken the Serious shot so this shot is for the fun. Heck, the best Family shot I got was one with

all family (about 30 or 40) sitting and standing for the serious shot and one of the little boys sat down cross

legged in the front row with is Back to the Camera. Just as the family members started to try to get him to turn

around I suggested this could be a wonderful photo and asked all to smile lovingly at the camera. The little boy

didn't budge so I took the photo with him sitting cross legged on the floor with his back to the camera! The

family Loves this photo the best. They now tell the story and the little boy can tell the story for generations

to come so my point is that after the serious one it's just plain ol' ok to get covered faces and turned backs

and arms in the air in Full Joy. Yup, I know you well enough to believe you are in full agreement with this so

it puzzles me that you point out "the common problems" with that type of shot!

 

The serious one has been taken. These shots are to help transition the family group into celebration mode and to

give them fun time in front of the camera. The original post asked for fun photos and didn't really put

parameters around it. All imo of course, lol.

 

Teresa, I always get the bridal couple to identify a photo champion from both sides of the family if they want

these huge shots and I let them herd the group in close before I start tweaking the set up. Once they are close

then I ask for their attention and threaten to hold them there for hours if need be ... they laugh and we have

fun. (yes, it's stressful but I like to have fun at these occasions too just as I know Dave does.)

[picturesque]

To me both David's and William's family shots are the 'family/group pictures' that Teresa asked for. The reason that I would make a differentiation between family and wedding party shots is because wedding party shots don't have the same constraints (as mentioned in my first post) as family shots. You can (and should) photograph the wedding party in a traditional pose in front of the altar. Then, you can do all kinds of creative things with them where showing every face clearly and as large as possible in the image are not important. Do a search on wedding party images. Here is one.

 

http://www.photo.net/wedding-photography-forum/00O3sq

 

There have been several threads that showed creative and different images for wedding parties. Most wedding party members are younger, and have no physical limitations that affect what they can do. Not so with family members. It is harder to get that many people together and besides the constraints already mentioned, there is the time limitation. You get them all together once during the day, IF you're lucky, and it is usually at the church, and you don't have much time, so those are more limitations. Maybe if the church has a balcony and you look down on them, or they sit in the pews, but this is again, starting to make the faces tiny since sitting in pews starts to take more room. Teresa asked for different, fun and relaxed family/group shots. By that I took her to mean family groups, not wedding parties as groups.