| Re: Large outdoor group shot at night
Thanks for the reply Aaron. I enjoy helping a pro out provided they are being compensated fairly.
When I do extra large groups like this, the lighting is essentially the same as smaller groups. I would put all 4 strobes on light stands immediately beside you at least a few feet higher than the camera. Higher is better but not if it is danger of falling over. Put sand bags on the bottom of the light stands and also have 2 helpers guarding them in case some idiot decides to walk into them. The higher you can get on a ladder or top of a truck, the better it will be. I stand on my SUV with a tripod when needed or sometimes stand on a rooftop or cherry picker. How you'll get your lights up above the camera height is a tough one.
I point the lights parallel with the ground. At that distance, up or down a bit will not matter and the depth of the group vs. fall-off from light is not a huge factor. Point the 2 on the right of camera at the farthest point the group will reach on the right, then the 2 on the left pointed to the farthest point on the left. Normally your strobes will fall-off in the center, but the fall-off from both will add up to equal to what it is at the edges. I can alway get the light with 1/10 stop of perfect with only a bit of fiddling. Usually you'll need to point lights even farther away from the group, but at this distance, you should be good. with this method, all 4 lights are are only a few feet apart and you shouldn't get cross shadows on people back a bit. In the photo, all 4 will appear as one flash.
I would pace the distance from camera to group and know ahead of time approx where you'll need to have the camera. I'd try for 3 rows or more if you think you can. First row can crouch for 60 sec. while you pop off 4 to 6 shots. Corraling the group is not easy, especially if it's cold. You'll need a bull horn and a few helpers getting people to move to where you want them.
For 8x10's, I'd put the 40D to 800 or 1600 and try to shoot at f:5.6 or better. I'm guessing that will be about right for your strobes and give you decent ambient light. DO NOT underexpose the 40D at higher ISO, it can't handle it. I'd try to avoid 3200 if you can. For this kind of shot, you really need to avoid noise (grain) because each face will be so tiny. shutter speed falls where it needs to for ambient light, but no slower than 1/30 with IS.
I would absolutely set this up ahead of time on a similar night with a few helpers standing in for the group. My best guess (only a guess) is that you'll need 80' to get the group of 180 to fit into. Anytime I've done this sort of thing, set your size limits and just keep forcing people to fit within them. Keep talking to everyone as you are assembling them. They need to pay attention to you and not be yakking away. I try all kinds of weird lines that sound stupid, but as long as they are paying attention, who cares. I would get 4 to 6 shots and if you have pre-tested everything, there should be no need to bracket.
Avoid generators with the strobes, I've had bad luck with them, wrong sine wave thing. I'd 'borrow' some power from a store or two.
I've probably missed some stuff but you'll get other answers also.
Doug  | 
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