You have probably been into a wedding where the photographer takes a lot of time before he can shoot a group photo and it is understandable. A group photo is no easy to take and that’s why this article is designed to help you make the best out of a group photo. It is a good idea to take random group photos but the chance of a perfect photo is pretty low and that’s why you need to plan ahead for your group wedding photos.
We think it is a brilliant idea to organize a few quick groups during the wedding so that the family can get the shots they want. Hiring a wedding photographer to help you out.
Before the wedding day
Magnificent wedding photos will not just come out of nowhere, it needs planning even before the wedding day.
- Discuss who will be in the group and have the couple understand that it might be boring if they have a lot of people in the group photos and a few would be nice. Probably suggest parents, siblings and grandparents. If you involve all the uncles, aunts and distant cousins, taking a magnificent wedding group photo might become a little bit difficult. Reassure the couple that you will still capture some candid group photos during the wedding so everyone they want the photos will be there.
- The other thing that need to plan before the wedding is where the group photos will be taken. Is it in the church or will it be on the reception or is it both?? The best place is probably in the church because everyone that needs to be there will be there. There is a high chance that there will be some guests missing during the reception so it will be quite hard to get them together again. However, if it is a civil wedding the group photos can be taken during the reception. Knowing in advance where you will take the group photos will save you a lot of time during the wedding day.
- As wedding photographer, it will be very wise to have a backup plan just in case it rains. You can may be use the hotel front door to get a wedding photo if it is raining. The light will still be good and it will be under the shade so no one is going to be rained on.
- If the couple really want a group photo that include all the aunts and uncles and cousins then you need to plan in advance where they are going to stand so that you can be able to see them all. We recommend the staircase as they work pretty well but if the wedding is on a lawn then maybe you might consider shooting from the window down.
- Remember to alert the couple that it might be difficult to take big group photos if it is raining but still work very hard not to disappoint. This is because it might be really hard to get enough space to take a big shot of like a hundred people on a rainy day. Try taking a wide shot on the reception and capture as many people as possible. Or alternatively you can take as many shots as possible.
- Talk to the bride and groom in advance and tell them that you will need to know who will be the usher and who will be the best man so that they can help you the groups as they usually know the people on the wedding way better than you do. That way you will not have to shout to people you don’t know.
Ask the couple to inform the people that they will be in the group photos so that they can be near the photographer when the time comes. It is looking for people that really takes a lot of time during a group photo. Planning ahead will help you capture some amazing shots and it will also help save a lot time meaning there will be plenty of time to capture plenty of group photos. Now that you have planned early, it is time to get those magnificent shots.
On the wedding day
- Arrange the people properly
It is very important to think where you will be positioning people during a wedding day for a group photo. We recommend that you put men behind women but some religious groups may have a problem with that so if that’s the case then you can put the women behind the women.
- Use an off-camera light
You might want to consider using an off-camera light while you are taking a group photo during the wedding day. Actually, should consider having two flashes instead of one to provide redundancy in case one does not recycle quickly enough. Or just in case the one flash you have decide to misbehave during the wedding day.
- Choose the color temperature
Using color gels to help you adjust the temperature of the flash can play a vital role in ensuring that you get a more balanced shot. For the evening or indoor weddings the orange color gel is the best option.
- Use a tripod or a monopod
The tripod or monopod will help you keep your camera steady as you are not going to shake like when using your hands. The possibility of capturing a blurred image will be very low and hence making it possible for you to capture some ideal group photos.
- Shoot in raw format
Making use of raw format allows you to fine-tune the white balance later as it has a non-destructive element. Shooting in JPEG format will limit your options while raw is very flexible.
Great group photos come out of pre-planning and making sure you follow the plans just like you had planned. If you want to hire wedding photographer, you can be sure to contact Evengo wedding photography and you will get help.
