Large Groups

[Albert Yanowich Jr.]

I take that back... I did do another group shot with no flash in Jan.
But it was with the D3 at 5000iso. (I just had to try it

Sample 73 photo - Albert Yanowich Jr. photos at pbase.com

Albert

[Noel_Carboni]

I really like the look of that "no flash" football shot, Albert. Also I wouldn't think to ask everyone to look serious and stern, but it really does set the image apart from the crowd. Football players are supposed to be ominous, not cheerful! Bravo!

I generally do use my flash for indoor shots, though I've never done a very large group indoors. I have shot small groups in which I employed my on-camera 550EX with Lumiquest 80/20 diffuser (so as to get some direct light and some ceiling-bounced light).

I post this shot of mine because it embodies all the classic blunders in one shot: I only took one exposure, so I can't digitally fix the fact that the girl on the right blinked, it's shot into a mirror, and I did not tell everyone to move around so that they could see me. Think of this as a "how not to do it" shot. It was certainly a learning experience for me. Group shooting requires more presence of mind than one would think at first blush.

Botched Group Shot

-Noel

[Albert Yanowich Jr.]

[quote=Noel_Carboni;458234]I really like the look of that "no flash" football shot, Albert. Also I wouldn't think to ask everyone to look serious and stern, but it really does set the image apart from the crowd. Football players are supposed to be ominous, not cheerful! Bravo!

Hey thank you! I appreciate that!

I generally do use my flash for indoor shots, though I've never done a very large group indoors. I have shot small groups in which I employed my on-camera 550EX with Lumiquest 80/20 diffuser (so as to get some direct light and some ceiling-bounced light).

For smaller groups and today's higher iso cams it's plenty of light to work with.

I post this shot of mine because it embodies all the classic blunders in one shot: I only took one exposure, so I can't digitally fix the fact that the girl on the right blinked, it's shot into a mirror, and I did not tell everyone to move around so that they could see me. Think of this as a "how not to do it" shot. It was certainly a learning experience for me. Group shooting requires more presence of mind than one would think at first blush.

Great shot and one that absolutely teaches If nothing else... always take at least 2-3 shots (that's about all most groups have patience for) but then at least you've got something to clone later. CS2-3 photomerge with a layer mask fixes closed eyes in a heartbeat.

I've been taking group shots for over 30 years.... and I must say I've yet to take a shot that I've been absolutely satisfied with. So I'll keep trying I guess

Thanks for the talk,

Albert

[Mike Keller]

Originally Posted by Albert Yanowich Jr.

I quit using 2 lights about 15 years ago... cross shadows hide people and I got tired of it. Although coverage is not as good towards the back... simply blending two different exposures of the same shot in PS brings up the EV in the back rows.

Albert

Well, I kinda lied, I didn't really mean cross lighting because I've gotten those shadows too, but rather two lights to try and get even coverage. On a sunny day like you have in those shots, I'd have a hard time getting enough light into the faces with even coverage with only one light.

Which reflector are you using, and I gather you are far enough back for "normal" focal length shots.

Thanks for the examples and tips, guys.

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