suggestions for large group shot
Lloyd W.
candids and photos of individual boats, for example:
http://robertmacturk.smugmug.com/gallery/8006300_HPvpc#520634538_kTWVa
I'd like to get a shot of the entire team (41 athletes and 5 coaches) on the
dock with the obligatory crossed oars. I've never done as large a group as
this and am looking for some tips from anyone who has experience with large
group photos.
I'll be using a Pentax K10D and have both 18-55mm and 50-200mm lens
available. I have access to the boat house, which overlooks the dock, and
planned to have an assistant use my Canon G9 (24-44mm) as backup and
different perspective.
Any ideas/tips/caveats/etc. will be greatly appreciated.
Rob
Chris Malcolm
Prefer to use distance rather than a wide angle of view to get them
all in, because bums look much bigger at the edges of wide angle views
:-)
--
Chris Malcolm
Stefan Patric
The easiest way is to look and see how other photographers have done it,
but basically there are two ways--formal and informal. Formal is
everybody shoulder to shoulder in rows or gentle arcs: sitting, kneeling,
standing and standing on risers, etc. Kinda boring like mug shots. Or
informal with the team in front of the boat house, casually posed
individually or in small groups amongst the boats and gear in their suits
or, better, streets clothes or a mix of both. By using a ladder for the
photographer, you can get a different kind of perspective. Use your
imagination. Be creative.
Backlighting with a fill flash works best for both, then no one is
squinting from looking toward the sun. You'll probably have to use at
least a moderate wide angle setting. To avoid distortions keep your
people away from the sides and especially the corners of the frame.
People don't look right with oval heads. It's okay for "things" to be
distorted, but not people unless you're doing weird artsy-fartsy pictures.
Stef
Savageduck
Try a Speed Graphic with Ektar Aro 7 inch f3.4 and you might end up
with something like this;
http://snipr.com/h0s4x-JAF2KN
--
Regards,
Savageduck
Pat
First off, sketch out how you want it to look so that when it comes
time to take the picture, you already have the picture in your head.
That'll make things go much quicker.
Second, most people usually put the tallest people in the back row and
the shortest, sitting in the front. That does nothing but elongate
the height of the picture. It's usually better to put the tallest
people in the front row, sitting, and the shorter people in the back.
It allows you to get closer to the people and have more square footage
of heads visible.
Third, try not to get things too symmetrical. If so, any little error
shows up. Find something asymmetric that works for you.
Fourth, do it before practice, not afterwards. Sweat isn't good.
Fifth, do it in the shade. If the background behind you is in
sunlight, then use a flash to balance the exposure of the people.
Otherwise, you'll get too much squinting.
Sixth, act like a parent. Use your parenting voice. Be confident and
tell everyone where to stand and what to do. Act like they are a herd
of 6-year-olds. (this is the most important piece of advice).
I'm tired on numbering.
People take lots of pictures of people on the pier/dock with the water
behind them. Considering getting out on the water and shooting back
towards the dock with the water in front of you. Also consider
lashing the boats together and doing the entire thing out on the
water.
Leave a little space, somewhere, where you can later insert the image
of the person who doesn't show up.
Take multiple exposures while you're there. Someone will blink. With
a second exposure at the same place and time, it's easy to edit out
the blinking.
Watch the sun. You don't want glare.
Find a great lab to make your prints. If you hang one near the water
in a barn or clubhouse, make sure you use UV glass.
If at all possible, get above the people. If not, get even. Don't
get below them. That includes using a short tripod. Don't do it.
Check for modesty issues: bras showing, camel toes, zippers left
unzipped. If you find anything, call you daughter over and tell her
to tell the person. It's better than you doing it.
Be happy and have fun. Otherwise they won't have fun and the picture
will reflect that emotion.
Watch the proportion of the grouping. People tend to go too
rectangular and therefore have a lot of wasted room at the top and
bottom of the image. If you're doing 8x10, take the proportion into
consideration. There is a big difference between [5 rows of 8] and [4
rows of 10] and [3 rows of 13(+1)].
Get some color in it. Everyone wearing those block suits is pretty
dull and you can't see the people that well. Wear team jackets or tee
shirts. Maybe put freshmen in one color, sophomores in another, etc.
At the least, get the coaches to wear something to stand out. But the
black things have to go.
Hope that helps.
Nicko
> Find a great lab to make your prints. If you hang one near the water
> in a barn or clubhouse, make sure you use UV glass.
In a barn?
WTF?
--
YOP...
Lloyd W.
news:75p725F...@mid.individual.net...
Thanks to all for your insightful comments - I have some time to try out
your suggestions before the big day - I do seem to have some trouble
locating a Speed Graphic and a high-ranking officer to get a group of
fractious athletes to stand still for any lenth of time though! haha
Rob
Pat
I don't know. Where do you store that type of boat when it isn't in
the water? A barn is as good of name as anything.
>
> --
> YOP...
Lloyd W.
news:2d6ced20-9a44-4403...@u9g2000pre.googlegroups.com...
>
> --
> YOP...
Actually, it's called a boathouse - an 8 person boat is about 60 feet long
and, unrigged, maybe 3 feet wide so the boathouses tend to be long and
narrow with multiple bays
[http://robertmacturk.smugmug.com/gallery/7438385_QSK3H#479641606_jEhA4].
Rob
Paul Bartram
"Shawn Hirn" <sr...@comcast.net> wrote
> A panoramic shot might work best.
That reminds me of those special film cameras they used to take school group
shots. The lens slowly panned across the sea of faces while exposing a long
frame on the roll of film inside. At least I think that's how they worked.
Of course there was always one wag who jumped down from the starting end,
ran around the back of the benches and repositioned himself on the opposite
side, so he appears twice! (Not me though, I was a good boy...)
Paul
Stormin Mormon
kid who runs around the back. Yes, that's essentially
correct. Tall, thin lens. The gear that rotates the camera,
also advances the film. Very clever process.
--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.
"Paul Bartram" <paul.bartram AT OR NEAR lizzy.com.au> wrote
in message
news:49f939d9$0$62165$c30e...@pit-reader.telstra.net...
Stormin Mormon
six feet or so. Lighting is going to be one of the big
concerns. The only group shots I've done have been
impromptu, not posed. I remember using a larger frame size
(3 megs, not my usual 1 megabyte or something) to get better
detail. I'd suggest using your camera's biggest number of
megabytes.
With the time to pose, I'd be thinking hazy sun, over my
left shoulder.
--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.
"Lloyd W." <lloydwe...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:75p725F...@mid.individual.net...
Pat
Boathouse. Boatbarn. Whatever. Nonetheless, if you are going to
hang a picture in the what-ya-ma-call-it, you need UV glass.
Savageduck
Then check on what others have done ;
Here is the Oxford/Cambridge group
http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2008/0803/teams_boat_race.jpg
A classic of the 1948 Irish Olympic rowing team;
http://www.ucd.ie/boat-men/images/1948OlympicsTeamUCD.jpg
The 1881 Oxford Team
http://thames.me.uk/boatrace/1881Oxford.jpg
and some ladies
http://www.queensu.ca/english/ls/images/Rowers2002_WEB.jpg
--
Regards,
Savageduck
GregS
>On 2009-04-28 13:25:40 -0700, "Lloyd W." <lloydwe...@yahoo.com> said:
>
>> I'm the team photographer for my daughter's crew team and I've always taken
>> candids and photos of individual boats, for example:
>> http://robertmacturk.smugmug.com/gallery/8006300_HPvpc#520634538_kTWVa
>>
>> I'd like to get a shot of the entire team (41 athletes and 5 coaches) on the
>> dock with the obligatory crossed oars. I've never done as large a group as
>> this and am looking for some tips from anyone who has experience with large
>> group photos.
>>
>> I'll be using a Pentax K10D and have both 18-55mm and 50-200mm lens
>> available. I have access to the boat house, which overlooks the dock, and
>> planned to have an assistant use my Canon G9 (24-44mm) as backup and
>> different perspective.
>>
>> Any ideas/tips/caveats/etc. will be greatly appreciated.
Don't take a shot with everyone standing up in the boat.
Take a megaphone.
Always keep flash on.
Have a nice moderately sunny day.
Don't have people leaning into the picture.
Say cheese.
greg