What lens to use for a family picture

[ccommins]

I am not a portrait or a group photographer, my hat goes off to those patient people. My brother thought it would be nice to

give my mother a picture for her 92 birthday of her children, grandchildren and great grand children. There are 12 people

in all. What lens would be best to accomplish this, I have 35mm 1:2.8G, 105mm 1:2.8G, 55-200mm, 60mm 1:2.8, 28-80mm

1:3.5-5.6. I'm using a tripod and a cordless remote. Any suggestions would be helpful. I plan to jump into the picture once

everyone is in place and use a cordless remote. Hopefully it will work.

[Jerry_]

<p>Using your tripod, the 35mm lens should work well. And if you have trouble with your remote, you should be able to use the camera's self-timer feature.</p>

<p>Six chairs, with six standing will give you a decent group for your camera-lens setup.</p>

<p> </p>

[gabor_szabo3]

<p>Six standing and six seated is kind of stodgy .... especially if there's a handful of youngsters. </p>

<p>Since your mother is the matriarch of the clan, situate her in a prominent postition with doting siblings around her, the little ones perhaps seated at her feet , standing next to endearingly, and maybe the youngest generation in her lap. </p>

<p>Last thing you want to do is make another distastrous "Olan Mills" or department store variety family portrait with everyone grimacing and staring blankly at the camera ( <a href="http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/2011/05/05/the-big-squeeze/">http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/2011/05/05/the-big-squeeze/</a> ). <br>

Give some advance thought and planning to the shot way ahead of time. Choose a suitable setting ( tastley decorated room, lovely garden, or outdoor spot with neutral background). Don't go wider than the 35mm (assuming you have an APS sensor DSLR), in order to avoid distortion wider focal lengths bring.</p>

<p>Stick with the 105mm for one or two-person closeup portraits.</p>

<p>Good luck !</p>

<p> </p>

[Mattman944]

<p>Picking the lens is the least of your issues, read what Gabor said a few more times.</p>

[GerrySiegel]

<p>I have a suggestion, but I think you won't like it all that much,since it is kind of negative thinking. <br>

Namely,that getting twelve people to do a suitable groupo pose, like set them up in an artistic way, no blinks and all, is a challenge. Doing it by <em>running in</em> to the shot, and chancing that the folks are going to hold still and all synched and where you coached them is pushing photo luck fairy to the limit. It can work,of course, odds are only odds.<br>

Twelve people will have about one minute of patience before the youngsters go all aflutter or oldsters get bored, Carol.<br>

Any possible way to pull in non family somebody to act as the "hey look at me and little smile here" person with the shutter button after you get them kind of lined up and move yourself in? <br>

Not my expertise at all, but a random thought. Good luck. gs</p>

[Jerry_]

<p>"Last thing you want to do is make another distastrous "Olan Mills" or department store variety family portrait with everyone grimacing and staring blankly at the camera..." I've never seen a Olan Mills shot with a dozen folks, but then again....?</p>

<p>I can't say that is what I wrote, but your reading seems to understand the use of six chairs. Grandma, at age 92, may not care for folks hopping through the photo. The person operating the camera has the *salesman* job of getting the family members in the photo to look alive and natural in their photography work-in-progress. [...one could take the six chairs up the side of Mt. Rainier, or to the edge of the Pacific Ocean, it all depends on what the OP wants to do.]</p>

<p> </p>

[GerrySiegel]

<p>Carol, just to give you a rough feel for a dozen family members I dug up one I did some time back when I got such a call. I don' t know how Owen Mills would do it but it was a real choreography project for me. So lens would be something like a 28mm or your 28-60mm as I recall. <br>

Good luck getting all hands on deck and no blinks:-) It can be done. Shoot a lot of film. Entertain the folks. Or sedate them with wine:-) gerry</p>

[GerrySiegel]

<p>Carol, just to give you a rough feel for a dozen family members I dug up one I did some time back when I got such a call. I don' t know how Owen Mills would do it but it was a real choreography project for me. So lens would be something like a 28mm or your 28-60mm as I recall. <br>

Good luck getting all hands on deck and no blinks:-) It can be done. Shoot a lot of exposures and trust to Providence. Entertain the folks. Or just sedate them with eldeberry wine:-) gerry</p><div></div>

[ccommins]

Thanks for all the suggestions, I am going to give it my best shot. I'll probably need the wine when I'm finished.

[ted_suss]

<p>Carol,<br>

You would do best to have someone take the picture, even if it's just someone passing by. Chances are that you will be looking at the others to make sure they're looking at the camera. Also, notice the girl in red covering up half of the face of the man behind her?<br>

Of course, the best way to do this is to hire another photographer!</p>