Today, we welcome Kathy Thompson back with a GREAT photo tip.
Here she is:
Summer often finds us celebrating – whether it’s national holidays, vacations, family reunions, birthdays—you name it! Celebrations go hand in hand with taking pictures, and often at these events we are confronted with the dreaded “group shot!” But group shots don’t have to be boring and predictable—they might start off that way, but with a couple of simple tips, what you capture might be something else entirely!
Arrange your group so that everyone’s face is visible. Use what you’ve got—hills, stairs, rocks, sand dunes; whatever setting helps your group to relax a bit (n this case this group of girls all piled onto a slide). Make sure everyone is close. Nope, closer—and then closer again. See what happens as everyone starts to get cozy?? They get silly, and they relax, and the reactions become natural! So, if you think they’re close enough, think again! Start clicking; you’ve got some honest to goodness interaction happening there! Give it a try!
Again, arrange your group. Tell everyone you are going to count to 3; after all you don’t want people blinking! So, ready? 1, 2, 3….click! You’ve captured your shot! But keep clicking! The real magic happens on 4—trust me. Everyone relaxes and again, if you’re clicking away, you’ll capture some honest relief and interaction. Look at the pictures below: In A, the girls all look beautiful and ready for their shot, but in B, just a second later, they are laughing and relieved and it makes for a much more interesting and dynamic photograph!
So if your job this summer is to capture the group shots at Great Uncle Edward’s 97th birthday, put these tips to use and see if they work for you!
Article by: Kathy Thompson
