Help me light this scene - 16 person group shot

[Fabrice_Grover]

Well, the new location is not particularly inspiring:



I am going to rent the gear in the morning, arrive at 4pm to set up, and shoot the group at 5. Headshots from 5:30 to ~7:30.

I'm thinking of getting up on a ladder and getting right in front of that reflective wall and shooting down on the group (3 rows of 5). I will have to position my lights quite wide to avoid seeing them in the reflection. I am thinking one on either side of the group and a third hidden underneath the security desk:



I would place the ladder behind the security desk and shoot down on the group from there.

Any suggestions?

I'm thinking of renting a 2000W power pack ($50/day) and 3 strobes ($18 each) + stands and umbrellas.

Here are a couple more shots of the space, to give you an idea of what I am working with.





For the headshots, I will probably move upstairs into an office hallway. There are a couple of usable walls, but I am thinking of bringing a backdrop to be safe. Any thoughts on this?



The wall on the left looks like this straight on:



At an angle, it looks like this:



I will setup a softbox and reflector and a background light.

The wall at the far end of the hallway is also an option (and would let me shoot with the 70-200 as there is more distance and I won't be cramped by the elevator. I could set-up a backdrop and light it as I please if the wall doesn't work:



At this point, any help is appreciated. I will make final decisions in the morning and go and rent the gear. I talked to the shop about the group shot and they suggested a 2000W power pack ($50/day) + 3 strobes with umbrellas and stands. I would also get a soft box for the headshots as I am more used to working with the soft-box setup for headshots (I find it's more like working with window light).

Thanks very much for any thoughts,
Fabrice

[KevinStecyk]

Fabrice,

I like shot Lobby4. Could you rearrange the plants and create you own desired environment?

Also, we don't know what you see looking out the glass. Rather than having the natural light in their faces, could you have it at their backs? That is, you're shooting looking out toward the window with them facing you?

This is a great thread. I'm hoping you find some great shots tomorrow.

Best regards,
Kevin

[Fabrice_Grover]

Kevin,

The windows facing the elevators are tinted dark, and what you can make out through them is a busy street with some construction! I may be able to move plants, but Lobby 4 was taken from the entrance, and I don't think they'd be too pleased with me setting up a ladder right there.

Fabrice

[KevinStecyk]

Originally Posted by Fabrice_Grover

The windows facing the elevators are tinted dark, and what you can make out through them is a busy street with some construction!

That's out.

But there does appear to be a seating area at the far end of Lobby4? It looks like plants and people sitting. Can you use that to your advantage?

Originally Posted by Fabrice_Grover

I may be able to move plants, but Lobby 4 was taken from the entrance, and I don't think they'd be too pleased with me setting up a ladder right there.

You might wish to speak with the maintenance person in advance of your 4 pm arrival for any physical arranging that is required. I suspect you'll be arriving when foot traffic is heaviest. Given your short window, I would not be overly optimistic about moving plants about.

Just trying to brainstorm with you.

[DougAxford]

It's been a long day and I'm beat but had to check-in before going to bed.

I have to agree with Kevin. I was groaning out loud until I hit photo 4. Everything else just plain stinks. You said that this company owns the building right? Well, I'd call your contact first thing and say "you want a bad shot or a good one? If you want good, I need this area of the lobby with no traffic while the final shots are being taken - 5 minutes at least. If not, find another photographer because I don't want you hating my work when all I've got to work with is horrible backgrounds."
I know it sounds hash and I can be a real SOB, but I think you need to tell it like it is.

Lobby 4 has depth, architectural interest and if they own the building, it represents the company.

Now, the problem is that posing the group is the major headache, not the lighting. I'd move plants around but I hate doing groups without props of some kind and plants are not props for me, just background. BTW, make sure they assign a maintenance person to move this stuff for you - IT'S NOT YOUR JOB to break your back or risk breaking their pots.

My initial thought is get up higher with a ladder like you said but spread them out more, use the spacious lobby to your advantage and try get a more striking pose from them, something with a bit of edge to it. This may or may not go with what they want, but you are limited here. I'd ask for (demand) some props - chairs or something similar to have at least some of them seated. Whew, this is going to require imagination. If chairs don't turn your crank, then simply have them standing, it certainly fits the hard interior.

For lighting, I'd go back to square one and if your exposure is close to what you shot at 2:36, then I'd use similar lighting to what I posted before, but i think you can forget the gels. The glass and lobby are very cool and you will need the flashes at daylight settings, or close to it, maybe 5000K. If the outside light is considerably darker and the indoor lights are brighter, you'll have to balance what is best at that moment.

For individual shots, I'd work in the same area for sure. For me, the options you've posted simply are gawd awful. If you are already set-up in the lobby, it's faster for you & them to adjust your lights, get down off the ladder and shoot into the far end of the lobby. I'd now use the plants to block anything that is objectionable (such as security desk) and use your softbox and relector as before. I don't think you even need a background, background light or hair light - use the ambient light that's there.

You might even try to do the individual shots prior to the group, as they arrive. Do be careful with ladder shots and shake. I've had that happen. It's more a problem with you not even knowing that you're trembling and the shot is blurry. Brace yourself and your arm on the ladder and have someone hold the ladder so you feel safe. With wide angle, you don't need to go very high to get a great effect, but you'll need to experiment beforehand.

good luck

[DougAxford]

I was typing and missed Kevin's post. I concur on getting maintenance to help you move things and keep people out of the way. I would prefer to shoot close to where lobby 4 is shot because i want the depth and architectural dynamics of the lobby to show. A trade off between dynamic shot and dealing with posing problems. If I were an exec in the shot, I'd prefer to have more building and less face, as long as I can be recognized. You want to think from their perspective sometimes.

[Fabrice_Grover]

OK, thanks guys. I will set-up the shot from the same perspective as lobby4. I'm not at all familiar with lighting such a large space, but I will attempt the techniques we discussed above and go for fill -- I just need enough light to shoot at 1/60 f5.6 @ ISO 400. I will also set up the headshots in some part of the lobby instead of the hallway.

What I was originally thinking with the front-on shot (lobby 2, but from a higher vantage point) was that it really was the least inconvenient location and that I might be able to get the reflections to pop out a bit in post for added depth. Something like this:



But it's not great. The idea was to get up high and get more reflection, but the shot is about them and the space, not the reflections, and I don't know what it will look like from up there and I'm more partial to the real depth we get in lobby 4. So I'll go with that and get up on a ladder. Any suggestions on where to position the flash units and how to angle them? Umbrellas?

This is a not-for-profit company with an office on the 5th floor of this twenty-something story building. They had to get permission to shoot in the lobby. The company helps big businesses be more socially responsible. They do things like organize tours with CEO's so the execs can see for themselves the effect their philanthropic efforts are having in the community. I am shooting the job at a reduced rate in exchange for profile on their website and in the newsletter they circulate to the big companies that are members of their organization.

I will follow your advice, Doug, and stay in the lobby rather than have a seperate set-up for headshots on the 5th floor. That will save me some money too as I can use the same lights that I've setup in the lobby (I was thinking of arriving quite early and setting up the two separate scenes so that I knew I had what I needed and so that we could move efficiently from the group shots to the headshots, but I am going to simplify). It's the day of their staff retreat and they will be arriving at 5 from another location, so I have to do the group shot first.

I am thinking of arranging them in three concentric semi-circles, 6 people in the back, 5 in the middle, 4 in the front (I think this is actually a 15 person group shot, not a 16 person shot... but if it's 16, I'll just add one more to the back row. I know I'm doing 13 headhots afterwards).

It may be that flowers and plants on the left of the security desk will balance with the plants on the right, and then I can frame out most of the big wall to the right of the frame.

Thanks again for all the input. I appreciate it very much.

Wish me luck!

Fabrice

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