Guest blog post from Vanessa Joy of Vanessa Joy Photography 

As wedding photographers, we’re expected to really be a jack of all trades. We need to be experts in almost every type of genre of photography, from still life to real life, photojournalism to portraiture, and everything in between. Needless to say we all have our strengths and weaknesses, and our favorite and least favorite styles.

For me, I’m most challenged by posing groups for photographs. Whether it’s families, bridal parties, or a group of college friends at the reception, group photos are definitely not my favorite. As you know, though, my preference doesn’t matter; every picture we hand our clients needs to be representative of our brand and quality of work that we’ve promised them. So here, in just a few easy steps, are my five rules to group photos:

 

Rule 1- Get the light right.

This is really the first rule to any photograph you take and should already be your first priority when you get ready to take a photo. It plays an even more important role, however, when photographing groups, because it’s extremely easy to create a photo in which one half of the group is displayed in great light while the other is lost in the dark.

 

 

Regardless of how you choose to light the photograph, just make sure that it’s even and that one side of the photo is not lit more than the other side (which is an easy and common mistake to make especially when using on or off-camera flash). Choose a location where you can get an even bounce off your flash, where you can set up lights evenly, or where the sun is casting even light and shadows. You’ll be happy when it’s time for editing and you don’t need to recover the highlights from one side of the photos and de-noise the shadows in the other.

 

Rule 2 – Make triangles.

When you’re posing three or more people together, it is visually appealing to create triangles with their heads in the composition. You can even take it one step further and line up your subjects so that one person’s eyes are level (horizontally) with another person’s mouth (the ear-to-mouth rule). Ultimately, the goal is to avoid making “totem poles,” “horizontal fences,” or “tilting slopes” out of people’s heads.

 

 

If you’re lucky, you’ll photograph a group of people that isn’t all the same height and when you place them in the photograph, consider their height and position them accordingly. As a sort of extension to this rule that might naturally fall into place, try to mix up the groupings if you can by gender and have them stand boy-girl-boy-girl. Nothing against 8th-grade-dance style (boy’s side and girl’s side), but it typically looks much prettier to have a mixture.

 

Rule 3 – Sit and stand.

Don’t be afraid to take a second and move some chairs into the photograph or to look around for some stairs. Especially when you have large groups of people, you’ll want to use whatever tools are available to help you make those triangles (and, if nothing else, to at least be able to see everyone’s faces in the photograph).

 

 

No chairs or stairs? No worries. Bring depth to the photograph to create height differences in your subjects. Remember, we don’t have to pose groups in a straight line all the time. Try moving some people backwards and forwards in the photo to break up the line and create some more depth in the photo. Just be sure that you’re shooting at a smaller aperture so that everyone is in focus.

 

Rule 4 – Make everyone look good – quick.

No one likes standing around for 15 minutes just to take one family photo that the bride and groom don’t even want. Granted, you’ll need time to set up the shot, but if you can find ways to streamline the process, I highly suggest doing so.

One of the ways that I do this is by first placing everyone where they need to stand, then giving them directions as a group on how to stand. During a bridal party session, for example, I’ll usually take a traditional photo of the group first so that I can teach them all how to stand at one time. I’ll put the bride and groom in the middle and the rest of the bridal party on either side. Once everyone is settled and paying attention, I’ll say, “Alright, everyone turn in towards the bride and groom. Great! Now everyone turn just your shoulders to face me. Perfect! Guys, put your hands in your pant pockets and ladies, lean on your back leg and place your flowers low, wrists to hips.” From there, everyone is usually in a flattering and uniform position and I can tweak as necessary. Then, for all the pictures afterwards, they’ll know how to stand and mixing it up for some fun photos is much easier.

 

 

A second way that I streamline group photos, especially when they’re of the bridal party, is to devise a way of getting them to be in the wings and ready for me. With the bridal party I’ll usually ask all the bridesmaids to go stand next to the groomsmen that they walked back down the aisle with after the ceremony. This allows me to create some instant order to the process. Usually, the bride has paired people of similar height, making my job of determining height and posing them accordingly that much easier.

 

Rule 5 – Smile, but be assertive.

It’s very easy during the chaos of group photos to either get frustrated and flustered, or to get lost under the laughing roar of drunk people you’re trying to photograph. It’s important to remember throughout the day to simply smile, even when you don’t feel like it. The last thing you want while you’re in front of a large group of people is to give the impression that you’re a mean photographer. You want to give them the impression that you’re a fun and talented photographer who they’d like to have around on a wedding day.

 

 

That being said, you still have a job to do. Sometimes people require more direction or firm guidance to get them to do what you need them to do (or to simply pay attention to you). A simple hand on the arm to guide them to their spot or get their attention may be required. Don’t be afraid to speak up more loudly if your voice isn’t being heard. Or, better yet, sometimes it works to simply take a step back and not speak or do anything at all if a crowd is being too rowdy. Once they realize that you’re not going to be able to do what the bride and groom want of them until they quiet down, they usually start paying attention and you can smile again and get on with it.

 

 

Overall, posing groups can be a challenge and a different one every day depending on the type of people and location you’re working with, and the ultimate look you’re trying to achieve. While these are rules that will work, don’t be afraid to break from the traditional rules every once in a while as well. That was a huge epiphany for me about a year after starting my own company and photographing weddings as the main photographer. I finally realized I don’t have to pose all family photos in front of the alter and WOW, did that make a difference in the quality of the images and how well they matched the rest of the album. It’s the little realizations like those that help your work grow!