Having fun with family photo shoots

Over the past few weeks I’ve had the opportunity to photograph some bigger groups.  Families, you know.  Mom & Dad, siblings, and more.  Very enjoyable clients too.

I thought I’d share two images from recent sessions here today.

This first image is part of the whole family.  Mom & Dad, and the siblings in the family.  Running around behind me were spouses & grandchildren.  We did get a whole family portrait as well, but I wanted to share this one today.

The shot was taken by Watson Lake near the old boat ramp.  1 580EX II with a 60″ umbrella.  Kassi hung on to the setup for dear life, as it was a little breezy that morning!

Photo #2 was a little more complex.  A family of 6.  And they were looking to do something a little more unique.  There was a big issue trying to create this effect.

Too many people……

See, if I lined everyone up in studio the light drop off would have been perceptible from closest to furthest from the light source.  What to do what to do?

Simple, take them in smaller groups with the grid spot, and when done create a composite of all the people together.

For this image I used my Alien Bee 800 with a 20 degree spot.  The 5D Mark II fired it wirelessly with my Radio Popper JrXs.  My studio was too small, so I used the studio area at the Art Store to setup for this group.

So there you have it.  2 different families, two different scenarios.  Glad to say, everyone had fun!