How To Shoot The Not So Spontaneous Moments - aka “The Group Photos”
Issue #17
[Read Time - 8 minutes]
As a wedding photojournalist, my sweet spot is capturing those natural, spontaneous, and priceless moments of a wedding day.
Shooting the groups and the more formal posed photos used to be my least favorite part of my day.
I could not wait to get back to the “real” wedding, where nothing was posed and those elusively magical moments were just waiting for me and my camera to capture.
This may have been what I preferred, but, like everything, reality always takes center stage, and I still had to face the fact that the formals are, and will always be, an essential part of the day.
After the artistically private moments of the preparation and the untouched purity of the ceremony, the time will inevitably come for the posed group photos.
The family, wedding party, more family, the couple, and then more family, followed by photos of the couple by themselves.
I won’t lie, if you feed off the creativity of photography, the posed group photos can feel soul-crushing, to say the least.
I’ve felt it, and you’ll feel it too, but there is a solution.
This issue will help rid you of the negative mindset and guide you through an actual system to make this entire process easier...and dare I say fun.
And before you scoff at the melodrama, let me say with all honesty that I wish someone had told me what I’m about to tell you.
It would have saved me hundreds of hours of angst and hundreds of days of relaying this angst to my wife, who had to endure it all (God bless her!).
I’m not going to tell you that the group photos are fun, and you already know they are required. However, just because you must do something that isn’t necessarily creative, it doesn’t mean it’s not important.
There are still ways to make it enjoyable.
Despite the fast-changing values of the new generations, there will always be a desire for “team photos.”
I call them this because that’s how I want you to look at them from now on.
The wedding day is “the game,” and as it should be, it’s filled with action - some fast-moving, some slower stretches, even a timeout here and there.
You have players on the bench strategizing before a big play.
Other players are loose and laughing because they have a huge lead and know they’re winning (good news - at a wedding, the home team always wins).
And all day long, there’s action on the field with players constantly moving.
I think you get the game metaphor by now.
But there’s also another part - The Team Photos. Everyone is arranged nicely - clean uniforms and all looking at the camera.
This is an important moment because at any time in the future, when someone wants to look back and see who was there, how old they looked, and what they were wearing, this is the official photo of record, nicely lit with everyone in focus.
Sure, the team photo doesn’t convey a lot of emotion, but let’s be honest, someday someone will look at these photos and realize that many of the players in the photo are no longer here.
There’s even a good possibility that someone in the photo might be the only one alive when looking at it.
This is sobering but true. And this is why these photos are important.
They are a part of history.
Once I matured as a photographer and a man and stopped being such a poop about these photos, a funny thing happened. The photos got better, and I started to enjoy them.
I didn’t LOVE them, but I enjoyed them more and got better at taking them because I respected them.
The common reality is that these group shots are the bread and butter for old-school photographers.
I don’t know what the new-school kids do, but as long as there are parents who want the photos, these will still happen and must happen.
Another common reality is that photographers take waaaaay too long with these photos, and that’s a big reason why they get a bad rap.
Here’s where the fun part comes in.
If you can tell your couple that the “family photos” will be done in 30 minutes, you will be a hero.
And if you think this is also a nice differentiator between you and other photographers, you are correct!
Now, here’s a quick caveat. As much as you communicate with the bride and groom beforehand and get their approval with the family and group photos they want, there’s always a chance for a curveball to be tossed in (or an interception if you prefer football).
One of the moms (could be from either side) will ask for “a big family shot” that typically involves about 5-10 minutes of setup for that one shot alone. Be prepared for this!
If you’re prepared and it doesn’t happen, consider that bullet dodged.
If the request is made, you’re mentally and logistically ready (light, lens, etc.), and you’re a hero for making this happen as quickly and efficiently as possible.
My best recommendation when this happens is simple - Breathe slowly, then start gathering the families in their respective “family units,” keeping kids with parents and husbands with wives.
Warning - people wander easily, so you’ll have to use your outdoor voice and be bold with your directions.
This is a great time to whip out those pithy little lines to get everyone moving and organized. Here are a few of mine you can borrow.
“OK folks, I missed the family reunion this year so do me a favor and group into your smaller family units for me please!”
“OK, who owns this young lad?”
“Alright, young lady (I say this to anyone over the age of 60), is there a guy you’re sweet on at the moment, or are you flying solo tonight?”
There will always be a single man or woman in the group, so you can use them to fill out tricky spaces or balance the lopsided families.
Keeping your head during this stage isn’t always easy, but it is always necessary.
People remember when “the photographer lost their cool,” and those photographers don’t get hired again.
Be cool, be kind, and be quick because the bride and groom have to endure this human jigsaw puzzle-building, and all they want to do is go and party.
And as another nugget of reality-facing news - shooting the couple is almost always last, so even when you’re done with your kitten-wrangling affair, you still have to get them together by themselves, get them back into a loving moment to shoot their official bride and groom photos.
It’s a dance, much like the entire wedding day, so it’s essential to be nimble on your feet and be comfortable with the basic steps (I know. So. Many. Metaphors).
I like systems. Anytime I have to do something three or more times, I create a system to make it run smoother.
This is the system I use at every wedding to shoot the “core group photos,” and once you start using it, this requisite part of the day will get more fun - systems do that.
If my bride doesn’t have a preference for the type of group shots, this is what I show her, and about 90% of the time, we stick to this.
The nice part about this system is that it allows the groups to flow easily and efficiently from one to the next.
Are you ready for it? Here we go!
B&G with Pastor or Officiant - best to do this first so you can let the pastor go and focus on the wedding party & family
Just the Girls - (with and without the junior bridesmaids and/or flower girls) - a group shot, followed by the bride with each attendant. This is also a good opportunity to include other females, such as mothers and cousin helpers.
Just the Guys (with and without the ushers and ring bearer) - group shot and groom with each guy - you can also add in the groom with his dad and brothers (I typically do NOT shoot the groom with each groomsman unless they request this)
B&G with the Full Wedding Party (after this, the non-family members can leave, and they will THANK you for this)
B&G with the bride’s immediate family (with and/or without Grandparents)
B&G with the bride’s parents (the rest of the family leaves, and just the parents stay)
B&G with both sets of parents (bring in the groom’s folks)
B&G with the groom’s parents (the bride’s parents leave, and the groom’s stay)
B&G with Groom’s Immediate Family (with and/or without Grandparents)
If there are other family shots, insert them here (big family, favorite cousins, etc) - now everyone leaves
B&G together (it’s important to shoo everyone out so the couple can get back together and just be alone. This will calm them and make them feel more lovey-dovey, which will make for better photos)
Off to the reception (perhaps a few of the B&G together at the reception site or location on the way if desired)
See how this flows from little to big and back again?
I know this is a simple system, but I’ve watched wedding photographers let the family decide what to do next, and it looked like a blindfolded square dance with people moving every which way.
Not pretty.
There’s one more part that deals with the actual grouping of your groups, but that can be for another time. I recommend looking at other group shots and modeling your group after theirs. There are several ways to do it, so I’ll let you choose the one you prefer.
And that is the long and longer of shooting family and group photos.
I never imagined it would take this long to explain, but hopefully, it has given you a little appreciation for the less-than-exciting but oh-so-important part of the day.
And if you want to make this even more fun, try getting it done as quickly as possible without appearing to rush.
Happy Shooting!
“Efficiency is a great secret that can drop us right into our ideal life path, but it is a hard one to practice and takes constant maintenance and work.”
– Tara Stiles
Creating a system for shooting the group photos is one of the little parts of the “inner game of wedding photography.”
THIS is what I write about each week in this newsletter.
If you’re a subscriber to INSIDE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY, thank you! If I can help you in any way, please do not hesitate to click that paper airplane button below.
If you’d like to be notified each Sunday morning when a new issue is released, click that beautiful blue subscribe button (and thank you in advance)
If you know someone who’d love this juicy insider information, click this equally beautiful and benevolent button here.
These are great tips and advice! Yeah, for better or for worse, it's the posed group photos that get framed for display. :)