Taking successful group shots is a challenging issue facing all wedding photographers. Ideally, the weather is nice enough to take the group outside so you can eliminate any problems of space. If it is a bright sunny day, you really need to get everyone into open shade- such as under trees, or the shadow cast by a nearby building. For the photographer, the important aspect is that everyone is evenly lit by daylight. The last thing you want is for your audience to be squinting because of the sun in their face, or some members in shad and some not.

The photographer may at times discoverthat there is no open shade available so position yourself and your crowd sideways to the sun or shoot into the sun as a last resort. The easiest outdoor group shots happen when the sky is full of unbroken cloud.
It can be trickier taking group shots indoors. First you have to find a good amount of space to fit everyone and you’ll normally need to add your own lighting to brighten things up. If you find the ambient light is poor use your portable flash units off camera into umbrellas.

Two of these can work magic, and you might want to use a silver umbrella for maximum light output. To achieve the best spread of light place your umbrellas high on either side of the group and aim them into the middle row of your group (not the front). If you only have one umbrella the best thing to do is place this above and behind from your shooting position. One speedlite firing into a 100cm umbrella on full power can handle a group of 15-20 people as you take the picture.

A trick you might want to try is to start everyone off with their eyes closed and tell them to open on the count of 3. At the moment you shout “open” keep your finger on the shutter for 4-5 continuous shots just to be sure. In the final seconds before taking your group photography it is also worth spending 10seconds quickly scanning the group to make sure you can see all faces without obstruction. Remind them that if they can’t see you the camera will not see the them. The other side of this is to position yourself as the photographer in a good vantage point. The photographer will either need to step up on a chair or ladder or arrange the crowd up a staircase to bring all faces into view.

Your final concern for group shots is making sure you achieve a good focus point. As your group will likely consist of numerous rows of people you’re immediately going to need an aperture of F8 or F11 (which also means you get the sharpest quality from your lens incidentally).

As the bride and groom are going to be front row, focus on their eyes. Remember that focus extends further back into the frame than in front, so by focussing on the front row those standing behind fall into focus also.
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