Group photographs are an important type of photography to master, as you will see request popping up for them more often than you would realise. Aside from the usual family portraits that are most commonly seen, sporting teams, friends’ nights out, wedding parties and school celebrations are other events, which will require you to shoot groups of people at the same time.

Think about Location – If you are shooting a child’s baseball event, have the time stood on the pitch all together, rather than against a fence or wall. Make the backdrop appropriate to the occasion. The same goes for a wedding, have the wedding party stood near to the church or against a backdrop of flower arrangements.

Eyes open please – Mastering how to shoot a group of people all with their eyes open at the same time can be a very difficult task indeed, and more so if you are photographing children. A trick to avoiding this is to either countdown 3, 2, 1 too quickly to catch them off-hand, or take a double-shot, immediately after each other. It is likely that at least one of them will result in everyone all having their eyes open at the same time.

Close-Ups – Photography shot very close to the group will allow you to focus more on the people than the background, and also to see more expression on their faces. This is important and can often make a picture special.

Keep Light Behind – When shooting outdoors in the summer, have the sun behind them. If it is in front of them, all of the models will be squinting from the light and a well put together and posed shot could be ruined.

Have fun with it – Rather than posing your models, catch them off guard. When groups of friends are all together, concentration can often lapse and fits of laughter will ensue. Use this to your advantage and snap them just as they release their smiles to one another and are looking away from the camera. This could see the result of a fantastically natural and fun shot at the end of it.