Four Group Photo Problems Solved

Spring brings with it warmer weather, hopping bunnies, and cute kids running around in their finest attire. How could you not take pictures of this stuff? If you’re like me and don’t get to see your family as often as you’d like, group pictures this time of year are especially nice to snap. To make the most of these photo ops I’ve put together these ideas to nip common group photo problems in the bud. (Ahem…Spring bud pun fully intended.)

1.  Blinking:

A really easy way to avoid having someone like me blink in your picture is to have everyone close their eyes. Then on the count of three, rather than having everyone say cheese, have them all open their eyes and smile. (I got this from Scott Kelby’s “The Digital Photography Book” and it’s a great idea.)

2.  Weird Angles:

Group photos are easiest from straight ahead and when the subjects and photographer are at relatively the same level. If your family is sitting on the floor, you should get down there. If everyone is standing you should be standing too. Other angles, like taking a picture from above your subjects, are possible but they are harder to pull off.  I’m not saying you shouldn’t try new things. I just recommend getting at least a few good standard shots before you experiment.

3.  Context: Too much or not enough?

When I look at an old photo I see it in one of two ways. Either I remember the situation I was in when the picture was taken or I don’t. Here are examples:

1.”This is a nice photo of my family but I have no idea when this was taken or where we were.”

2.”See how nice we look all dressed up for Easter? And look at the kitchen counter, it’s covered in egg dye! We sure had fun that year. ”

The difference is context.

With context there is a balancing act between too much and too little. I came up with this rule of thumb to help find the balance.

Too little?

If you can’t  tell where you are or at least what holiday/season it is by what you see through the view finder, you may not be including enough context. It’s important to include meaningful context not just any context. A brick wall is context but it probably doesn’t have much meaning. There is a huge patch or wild daffodils that blooms every spring where I grew up. My sisters and I have known and loved that place since we were little kids. That context has a meaning to us.   Daffodils signal the start of spring to my family so that wild group of flowers is the perfect spring setting.  Bouquets of flower, Easter baskets, pastel eggs, and brightly wrapped candy could all tell you your photo was taken in spring.

Clothes can tell you where and when the picture was taken too. Most of us don’t dress exactly the same every day for every occasion. Flip flops and t-shirts might tell you a photo was taken on vacation at the beach.  Pretty pastel dresses and khaki dress pants say spring to me.  Group shots from the chest up or full body shots will include enough spring finery to tell you later “That was spring! See how nice we all looked?!”

Too much?

If you keep stepping back (or zooming out) to get it all in  you may be trying to fit too much in. The trick here is deciding what your subject is. Is it the group or the landscape? If I’m taking a group shot most of the time the group is the subject not the landscape. I won’t try to fit the whole landscape in because that would shift focus away from the group. One exception I can think of, and I’m sure there are others,  is group pictures taken somewhere like the Grand Canyon. Each member of the group wants proof that they were there as part of the group. In this case it makes sense to take a group photo that includes a lot of landscape. It may not make for the best picture but it sure is a neat souvenir.  Decide what kind of photo you really want (landscape? family group shot? vacation photo in front of a landmark?) and take that picture.

4.  You’re Tired of the Same Old Picture:

The same posed group shot year after year can get a little boring. One of the great things about small point and shoot cameras is they aren’t nearly as noticeable and intrusive as big DSLR’s. Use this to your advantage to get really good candid group shots. If everyone is sitting around the table together dyeing eggs take the opportunity to grab a photo! Snagging a few shots of the kids playing or your mom cooking with the grand kids -while they aren’t looking- can make for some nice memories and genuine expressions. Just be sure to stop once you’ve been caught. People in my family find it really annoying when a camera is in their face too often. Then they don’t let you take more pictures of them. What can I say? We don’t like paparazzi.

Related posts:

1. The Public Photo Respect Policy