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what is your prefered method of taking group shots of a wedding party
indoors and outside ?
i seen them done with a shorter zoom and also have seen but not to
often a 70-200 with the photographer far enough away and his
assistant closer to the group holding the flash triggered by him.

wrote:
> what is your prefered method of taking group shots of a wedding
> party
> indoors and outside ?
> i seen them done with a shorter zoom and also have seen but not to
> often a 70-200 with the photographer far enough away and his
> assistant closer to the group holding the flash triggered by him.

Geez, how much room do you have to work with? Indoors you can't shoot
through a wall--you need to use a lens wide enough to get the whole
group in at a distance that you can achieve. Outdoors there's
generally a fence or wall or hedge that establishes a barrier in the
same way but it's likely to be farther back. How much lighting do you
have? Enough to be able to keep it out of frame if you shoot with a
tele?

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

wrote:
> what is your prefered method of taking group shots of a wedding party
> indoors and outside ?
> i seen them done with a shorter zoom and also have seen but not to
> often a 70-200 with the photographer far enough away and his
> assistant closer to the group holding the flash triggered by him.


Forget whether or not it is a "zoom" lens, and just worry about the
focal length you are using. It is not a good idea to shoot people with
too short a focal length. For individuals, short focal lengths make
noses big and ears small. For group shots, it makes people on ends
shorter than people in middle.

Many folks feel a lens of about 75-85 mm (35mm equivalent) is just right
for portraits. Any lens that has this in its range is okay. Longer
focal lengths are okay, stay away from going much shorter, though for
groups even 50 mm is not too bad. Stay away from going much shorter.

So pick a focal length and move back and forward to get the group in the
field. As I say, if there is something blocking the area in front of
you, you can use longer focal lengths.

J. Clarke wrote:
> wrote:
>> what is your prefered method of taking group shots of a wedding
>> party
>> indoors and outside ?
>> i seen them done with a shorter zoom and also have seen but not to
>> often a 70-200 with the photographer far enough away and his
>> assistant closer to the group holding the flash triggered by him.
>
> Geez, how much room do you have to work with? Indoors you can't shoot
> through a wall--you need to use a lens wide enough to get the whole
> group in at a distance that you can achieve. Outdoors there's
> generally a fence or wall or hedge that establishes a barrier in the
> same way but it's likely to be farther back. How much lighting do you
> have? Enough to be able to keep it out of frame if you shoot with a
> tele?
>

I carry a step ladder. Hight overcomes many obstructions, even indoors.

Good quality lenses in the range of 30mm for FF sensors and 24MM for
crop sensors don't generally produce enough distortion that can't be
corrected in post process.

The big issue with a group shot is in not being able to see much detail
in people. I often shoot 10 or more frames just in case I need to cut
and paste for people who blink or don't pay attention.

You can almost never light a crowd evenly. In any case, where do you
find enough flash power to cover them anyway? Much better to use natural
light or if indoors, available room light. You're not going to do this
with a P&S camera because you need some serious high ISO performance or,
a crowd who'll stay still and not blink!

"J. Clarke" <> wrote in message
news:...
> wrote:
>> what is your prefered method of taking group shots of a wedding
>> party
>> indoors and outside ?
>> i seen them done with a shorter zoom and also have seen but not to
>> often a 70-200 with the photographer far enough away and his
>> assistant closer to the group holding the flash triggered by him.
>
> Geez, how much room do you have to work with? Indoors you can't shoot
> through a wall--you need to use a lens wide enough to get the whole
> group in at a distance that you can achieve. Outdoors there's
> generally a fence or wall or hedge that establishes a barrier in the
> same way but it's likely to be farther back. How much lighting do you
> have? Enough to be able to keep it out of frame if you shoot with a
> tele?
>


Sometimes there's plenty of space:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1001/...1670c73d8d.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1047/...3566697601.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1391/...3367fd738b.jpg

On Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:19:48 -0600, Halston Addisen
<> wrote:



>...
>Hint: Weddings usually take place in large chapels and large halls where there's
>plenty of room.

I don't know about you, but I always tried to take the group shoots
well away from the hubbub of the wedding. That often ended up being a
smaller area. With groups a large part of getting good photos quickly
is to limit distractions and on-lookers.

There are no set rules. The photographer usually relies on his or
her experience. Each wedding is unique.

Note: I really don't think the OP needed the non responsive
comments.