Photography question

[SmallMoments]

My best friend asked if I could take pics for her extended family... eleven people total.

I am so nervous I've never done such a huge group before! A couple of questions...

Any pose recs?

And what is the best time of day, other than just before sunset? Just before sunset is out of the question b/c it's a school night and there are several school-aged kiddos. (It would put picture time around 8 p.m. if we did that)

[sevenupps]

First, good luck with this! It can be fun even though it's stressful.

I'm not a "professional", just an experienced wanna be. But here's my .02

The "golden hours" of early morning and around sunset are perfect but it sometimes isn't convenient. I just do the best I can with the time of day and location I am working with.

Find some shade if the light will still be too harsh. You can find a big tree or building and arrange you subjects in even shade (sometimes trees provide doppled light, watch for that). Just check your settings so you're getting a good exposure for the light you have.

If you can bring a chair or two, it's good to have your subjects at different heights. (Some standing, some kneeling, some on chairs, some on the ground)Or you can use rocks or other natural props for this.
There are tons of photography sites out there, you can go look at some for posing ideas.

Remember to do a quick check to straighten clothes, check hair, etc. Then take tons of photos so you can have a few where everyone is smiling and not blinking.

Have fun! Post pics so we can see too! If you have any other questions you can PM me.

[Beth Swann]

I agree. Find well-shaded areas (and avoid the sun spots that sometimes creep through).

Also, check your white balance factor if you have that option on your camera. That will definitely help the color be more true to life. I've actually found when I'm taking pictures in the shade, the white balance option of "cloudy" produces better color than the "shade" option does. I know, it's wierd.

One thing I've learned is that it's usually the first few pics that turn out the best. Try to get the best shot possible in the earliest part of your session. I say "best" in terms of children smiling and actually looking at the camera, etc. Their attention wanes pretty quickly, as I'm sure you already know.

Good luck!

[ColleenSwerb]

As far as "poses" go, I've heard it said repeatedly that when working with large groups, create smaller groups within the group. So make a few groups of 3 or 4 people all kinda clustered around each other. It creates more interest in the photo than just 2 rows of people staring at the camera. Mix heights within each group (standing/sitting/on the ground).

[ajf9597]

We did the small group thing when we did an extended family pic, we're talking 31 people and we just did each family in their own little group, but also had each family in a different solid color shirt. So one family blue, one green, one burgandy etc all darker colors. Good luck!