- 6 people
- Italy
- squish
- Soft Light
- Shade
- Playful
- Overcast
- Natural Light
- Middle Thirds
- Mid range
- Laughing
- Jokes
- hilarious
- afternoon
- high energy
- Group Photo
- Girls
- Funny
- Fun
- Free
- Energetic
- Center Framed
- Canon
- Bridesmaids
- bouncing
- Walking
The story behind the image
Directions
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
Once we positioned our girls next to each other, we asked them to link arms and walk towards us. While walking, we encouraged the girls to squish close and even lightly bump into one another; all while moving forward.
What did you say?
Alright, girls, walk towards us and when you do, get real close. So close! Squish up into each other and even bounce off yourselves.
Composition
After getting a few full-body shots, we let the girls move closer to us so we could then focus on their laughter and utter joy. We kept the most important part of the composition in the center of the image; their expressions & faces. This allowed some “breathing room” above them as well as have them close up enough in the frame to really capture their enjoyment.
framing
Center Framed
Focusing
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
Our focus point was directly on the face of our bride. Since all the girls were on the same line, we didn’t worry too much about one of them falling out of focus; especially with a wide-open aperture. As they moved towards us, we kept refocusing between shots. We did this simply because we felt that the continuous autofocus of the 5DIV wasn’t at its prime.
Focus Mode
Single Shot Autofocus
Focus POints
Single Point
Focused on
The Brides face
Equipment &
Exif
Camera
Lens
Flash
Filter
1/1000 @ f/2 ISO100 WB-Auto
The way the EXIF is written out follows the common photographic method (with the inclusion of White Balance at the end). Here it is broken down:
Shutter Speed @ Aperture ISO White Balance.
Light & Weather
We were fortunate enough to have worked with an overcast sky at this moment so the light was fairly simple to work with. That being said, we still keep an eye out as to where the sun “was”. The sun was slightly behind us and to our left which meant that even though the light was soft, we still had the girls illuminated from the front which highlighted their expressions.
Light Type
Natural Light
Time of day
Afternoon
Weather
Editing Workflow
How did you edit this image?
I applied my Protea Preset to the image and adjusted the white balance, exposure, shadows & highlights to get the overall tones I was after. I wanted something warm, for sure, but didn’t encroach too much onto the whites of the bridal dress. I then also reduced a bit of the texture just to make the skin feel a bit smoother. Then, adding a bit of grain to complete the image with texture.
Editing Software
Adobe Lightroom Classic
Preset Used
Challenges
The main challenge one would face in a group photo like this is keeping the energy and motivation up high enough for everyone to be genuinely having a good time. It’s not always easy but it’s also not impossible either.
Solutions
Make group photos a fun thing for everyone. Put in a lot of your own energy and don’t be afraid to make a few silly jokes here and there. After all, you’re pretty much on “stage” in front of an audience and so taking advantage of that can yield some pretty fun images that they will all love.
Location
Location Name
The Lazy Olive
Location aDDRESS
LOC. FINERRI, 7, 53041 ASCIANO SI, ITALY
Loation Type
Wedding / Event Venue
Country
Italy
When it comes to movement in group photos, it’s best done with groups no larger than 6 – 8. Any larger and things start to become a bit more chaotic and may actually not look good at all.
Regardless of how many people you have in your group photo, don’t forget to be encouraging and to compliment the group once you’re done. It makes a world of a difference when the people hear you say “Damn, you guys look great!”. They start to genuinely have a good time in front of your camera.
Finally, try and convince your couple to do the group photos before your couple shoot as this could push your couple shoot later on into the afternoon / evening which is, obviously, a much nicer time to be taking their photos.
