Shooting a group photo....

^^Gord^^

^^Gord^^

^^Gord^^

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20 Oct 2002
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Nottingham
Can anyone (wedding photographers?) offer me some advice about taking a group photo? In particular how to choose the correct aperture setting.

I'm off to a martial arts grading tomorrow and we want to get a club photo. It's in a hall and the club has around 100 members but I would expect maybe 50 or 60 to be at the event.

I don't normally shoot this kind of stuff so I'm really unprepared.

I don't have a flash (excluding the onboard one on my 30D), don't have a tripod (but hoping to borrow one) and I'm looking to use my 17-40 L but have a Sigma 10-20 if I really need to go wide.

Gord.
 
With no flash (on board is no good for this situation - not enough reach), your best bet is to ramp up the ISO.

You don't really want a shutter speed slower than 1/60sec as, with that many people, there is bound to be some movement. You also won't be able to open the aperture too wide, as you want the whole group to be in sharp focus.

Turn as many lights on as you can and shoot in Raw so you can fiddle with the WB afterwards.

If you can't get a tripod, get a table or something to put the camera on
 
I would concerntrate more on getting yourself a tripod. Depending on these people lined up (probably stacked I would imagine) you wanna be looking around the Aperture range of F8 maybe F11 depending on how much depth the group has.

I would highly consider the Sigma 10 - 20 for this.

and for light your prob looking around the ISO400 for a base start and maybe higher but you really need some form of bounced flash.
 
Cheers for the replys.

I've got a friend of mine who is going to lend me his tripod but I don't know anyone with a flash I can borrow.

The group is more than likely going to stacked. The back line standing and the the front line kneeling. I'll try out F11 and see how I get on.
 
Yes, it's tomorrow. I think (but must check) that it starts at 9:30am.

A rental shop is an idea, may *just* be able to get to it and still get to the event in time.

Google AHOY!
 
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