Pictures of large groups can be difficult, particularly when children are involved (or uncooperative adults). Large groups can also be a lot of fun to photograph. Being part of a large family or group of friends is just fun. Here are a few pointers to get great large group photos, including some secrets of merging parts of photos in Photoshop.
During the Shoot
Do keep things laid back and fun, the more uptight you are, the less likely you are to get smiles
Do let children be children. It's completely acceptable for young children to be looking away, lost in thought, laughing, or being silly in photographs. They're just children after all, it looks quiet natural for them to be behaving that way.
Don't let adults look like children. It's not ok if you can't get a single picture of the adults looking at the camera, smiling. (Alright, it may turn out ok, but honestly adults.....you have DECADES of practice at this, it shouldn't be that difficult)
Do take a lot of pictures, on a tripod, in the exact same pose. The more people you work with the more likely you'll have to do some post-processing work swapping out faces. I've found that it helps relieve stress when you are less concerned with getting "the perfect shot" and more concerned with capturing workable shots and keeping things low-key.
Don't forget to check the live view! Look at the pictures as you take them. Thanks to digital photography, we don't have to get it perfect the first time, but if you don't check how pictures are turning out, there isn't much that post-processing can do for you. If someone's face is hidden behind something, it's hidden. You'll need to fix that during the shoot.
Post-Processing
Do start by getting all the participants looking their best. If you need to open up someone's eyes or replace someone's face all together, merge photos first before you do any other adjusting. Keep in mind lighting differences between shots as you are merging photos and compensate as necessary.
Don't forget to zoom in. Photo merging can be tricky. Your best bet to ensure it looks perfect is to zoom in (I like to set my zoom to be 2 times the size of the largest expected print).
Do save Photoshop documents as you go. Rename documents at important breaking points. For example, I always save a copy of my work after I have all my photo-merge layers in Photoshop looking the way I want. This way I can actually merge or flatten all of the photo-merge layers for additional post-processing work. It gets less confusing this way.
Do try different settings for brightness, contrast, saturation, ambient light, etc. I like to create three different edited images on important large family photos as a starting point, then I usually end up finalizing a fourth image that builds off my favorite things about the other edits.
Don't go overboard. Their are stylistic ways to over-expose, over-saturate, under-saturate, etc. photos. When working with big groups, I don't find these artsy styles really work well. There is just too much going on already for me.
Most people may know that photographers like to shoot just before sunset or just after sunrise. Lighting is less-harsh during this time frame so it makes a photographers job easy.
When shooting during mid-day (as we did with this photo-shoot) it can be great to shoot in the shade of a beautiful building. Lighting still turns out fabulous and the venue can help make the pictures beautiful.
These fun family photos were taken last week and demonstrate the beautiful lighting that can be achieved in the shade.
I know all the mamma's out their are looking to get their wee ones back to school. To help in your back-to-school preparation, I'm offering back-to-school mini-sessions!
These prices are AMAZING (if I do say so myself)! $30 gets you two portrait poses and the following prints (in addition to digital files):
4 wallets OR 2 4x6 prints
2 5x7 prints
1 8x10 print
Additional prints and sizes are available on request for an additional charge.
As if that wasn't enough, I'm offering a sibling discount!! (WHAT?!)
Buy 1 session, and you'll get a sibling session 50% off OR you can buy 2 sessions and I'll just give you the third one free!
Am I crazy? Quiet possibly.....I'm just excited about back to school! I'm only doing two short mini-sessions (one in the morning, one in the evening) so contact me ASAP; these might just go fast.
My dear friend, Stephanie, has been in my life since middle-school. She balances me out so well with her fun sense of humor and her laid-back outlook. She is a super-spiritual lady and I'm so excited to share some highlights from their fun photo shoot.
Love his smiles!
Stephanie lost her little baby Joseph June of 2012. She has been amazing in sharing her experience with coping with his loss and I wanted to include him in these family pictures. I love hearing Stephanie's testimony that family's are forever! It's so inspiring!
Children. They are spontaneous, wild, and full of life. More often than not your wedding day will play host to one or many children. For some brides, thoughts of children at the wedding cause panic attacks as they worry what mischief will be made or if their special day will be ruined by fussing kids.
In this two-part segment, we'll explore a few ways to take the sticky out of those wedding-day kids.
Kids Entertainment
One of the best ways to set-up a stress-free kid-friendly wedding environment is to plan simple ways to keep them entertained. Depending on your wedding theme and venue kids entertainment can be a fun part of the wedding for more than just the children. Here are some ideas.
Photo booth: Rent (or set-up your own) photo booth, complete with funny props. Kids and adults will get a kick out of posing and you'll get some amazing and fun pictures of all your guests.
Kids table: At the wedding dinner or engagement party, include a kids table. Feature kid-friendly food and allow for coloring with coloring pages (or with fun coloring table cloths like this one)
Kids Sign-in: The adults get to sign-in to your custom wedding guestbook but kids can be tricky, since many are still learning how to write (and you may worry they'll write across the groom's face). A scrapbook style custom-sign-in book can feature fun little colored messages for the bride and groom at the back of the traditional guest-sign in pages.
Kid's Activities: Weddings are often formal events but depending on your wedding-theme you may be able to get away with a few kid activities. For example, Carnival-themed weddings could feature a balloon-making clown. Rustic-themed weddings could feature a dress-up box with old-time gear or a hay bail maze for the little ones.
Kids with Special Needs
Many brides are looking to accommodate children who have unique needs. Children with special needs, like autism, for example, may find a formal wedding atmosphere with lots of strange people in fancy clothes overwhelming. Depending on the need you are accommodating, you may need to consider the best table to sit a child at, make accommodations with the venue you've chosen etc. Here are some ideas of ways to make a child (or children) with special needs more at-east for the big day.
Talk to a close friend or family member who can be assigned to the task of ensuring the child(ren) are accommodated throughout the day so that you're not worried about it.
Ask parents for ideas on how to make the child(ren) more at ease (perhaps their favorite chair or stuffed-animal could be brought from home).
Know when to include and when to exclude. Children with special needs often want to be included in the wedding celebration, however, be sure to address how much they will be expected to participate in wedding day festivities. Sometimes it may be best for them to be allowed to remain away from the crowd and the celebration.
If desired, include them in smaller, more intimate wedding celebrations. Family dinners prior to the wedding or even one-on-one dates with children with special needs may prove to be more meaningful and less stressful to everyone.
Kids and the Big Day
When all is said and done, your wedding is your big day. Make every effort before the wedding to accommodate the kids in your life, but realize that children are unpredictable and that the best way to take the sticky out of kids is to not worry about them too much. As the bride, it's not your job to tell children how to behave, where to go, what to do, etc. (Even if they are your kids, it may be wise to enlist a family member or friend to take this task on for the day). Enjoy your day and the kids in your life will take your cue!
Children. They are spontaneous, wild, and full of life. More often than not your wedding day will play host to one or many children. For some brides, thoughts of children at the wedding cause panic attacks as they worry what mischief will be made or if their special day will be ruined by fussing kids.
In this two-part segment, we'll explore a few ways to take the sticky out of those wedding-day kids.
Kids and Wedding Pictures
If the kids in your life are anything like the ones I know- they are likely to be super adorable and super photogenic. Ensure your photographer captures them. Better yet, have them help capture memories for you.
Many brides in the past used disposable cameras to have guests help capture their wedding day, but with everyone having access to a smart phone, why not set up a special wedding-day email and ask guests to send their mobile pics in? You can then easily use sites like Walgreens to order prints by simply forwarding on those emails to their photo-site email address (for Walgreens it's save@mywalgreens.com).
Kids and Props
The right prop in the hands of a child can do wonders. A typical favorite prop is small vials of bubbles for children to blow towards the bride and groom as they leave the wedding. Here are a few other fun ideas:
One couple had success finding a vintage tricycle and painting it to match the wedding colors. They were able to involve a nephew in the event as he rode around the wedding party.
A child can help keep track of favorite family pets at a wedding- just hand them a leash and a stash of doggy treats.
Put thank-you gifts in a decked-out wagon and have the little-ones hand out the gifts to guests at the wedding.
Props should align with the theme of your wedding and should help you (and your guests) enjoy your special day.
Join us for Kids and the Wedding {Part 2}! I'll discuss fun ways to include children in your wedding party from showers through ceremonies.
Till next time,
Good luck, warm wishes, and sweet memories always,
Want to know a little secret about photographing children? Never make it about the photographs.
You can make it about a silly little doll who tries walking all over your camera.
You can make it about how scary they look in their nice clothes and try hiding from them behind the camera.
You can make it about jumping off things that their parents would scold them for.
You can make it about playing superhero, or trying to get grandpa to laugh.
But whatever you do- don't make it about the photos.
Unless of course they like to pretend they are super-models. Then go all eccentric Italian photographer on them and tell them "I love it! Work it!" in a funny accent.
Assuming all goes well, even the most-ardent "I hate photos" child will end up looking like this:
Enjoy a few highlights from the Wrigley's family photo shoot....
I still remember growing up, hearing Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle would always get me tearing up. It was a daddy-daughter song, all about the love shared between a little girl and her daddy. Since dancing with your father is part of wedding tradition, over time many such daddy-daughter wedding songs have been written.
I can't tell you how bad I cried the first time I heard this song:
Leave it to Carrie Underwood to so perfectly capture a moment that was missing for so many brides- that special connection that the bride has with her mother.
I so look up to and respect my own mother. Becoming a mother myself continually teaches me just how much she has done for me. Honestly, I wish on my wedding day I could have given my mother a parting gift like the one featured in this song. It's definitely a regret of mine that I didn't take the time to recognize just how much my parents, and especially my mother, had done for me.
You, dear bride-to-be, don't have to worry about these regrets. Mother-of-the-bride books are not just for the famous- they are for your mama. Take the time to select a few pictures from your childhood that feature you with your mother and combine them in a book- even just a small photo album will make your own mama smile.
Not sure you have any good photos of you and your mom from growing up? For various reasons, you may opt to include more recent photos of you with your mama.
How about including her in your bridal photos? This is really such a fun idea, most moms attend the bridal shoot for sentimental or logistic purposes anyway, why not ask her to dress up and get in a few of your bridal shots with you? This would help the two of you further connect as you prepare for your big day and the pictures will honestly become quick family favorites.
If you're not sure where to get started on honoring the Mother-of-the-bride, use the contact form to shoot me a quick message. I'd love to give you some inspiration!
Remember when I wrote last I talked about how the things that make you uniquely you are a great source of inspiration for engagement photos? Well, uniqueness is pretty much requesite for a custom guestbook.
Sure, you could buy a standard guestbook where people can write their names in cursive handwriting that is pretty much not legible. You could even splurge and buy more customized guestbooks that feature photos of you but not much else in the way of personality.
Or, you can tell a story, YOUR story and share it with every guest who is there to celebrate your wedding day. Your guests can write you advice, favorite memories, or congratulatory messages.
Here are a few snippets from the custom wedding book I am working on right now. What started out as an ENORMOUS challenge of combining all the little details that make this couple unique has become a beautiful, visual story of their love for each other and their special day.
Here are the inspiration points Brittany and I discussed.
Their wedding colors are yellow and gray
Their theme is rustic/country (they are having the wedding party in a barn! So cool!)
They are doing a lemonade bar as part of the wedding and will be incorporating both limes and lemons into the decor- so she wanted hints of a happy green included throughout
The venue is a bright red barn- she wanted this incorporated as well
Additionally, Brittany LOVES everything Disney and will be having a very sentimental Minnie and Mickey figurine incorporated into the decor
Their wedding song is "Wanted" by Hunter Hayes.
This may seem like a lot of information to incorporate into a custom guestbook at first glance but keep in mind that you'll want plenty of pages for guests to sign-in on and each page can tell a bit more of your story.
Here are a few of the spreads that I've already completed. I'll keep the rest a surprise until the big day! ( I think if you click on them you can get them bigger to see the cute details).
Good luck Brittany and Josh, warm wishes, and sweet memories always,
