Take better family photos this Christmas
Taking Family Holiday Photos is Like Herding Cats
Everyone is getting together for Thanksgiving, Christmas dinner, a holiday party 
or New Year’s Eve. You’re going to want to take some photos of Grandma with all the grandchildren, all your aunts and uncles, all the cousins or of everyone gathered around the holiday table. How do you set up your shots and how do you position people so that you get a great result?
Digital photo pro — and blogger — Darren Rowse offers some terrific tips on getting the group photo job done — and done well. Darren’s post includes photo ideas, but I’ve also included a few group shots that reflect a fresh photo perspective.
How to Take Great Group Photos
by Darren Rowse
digital-photography-school.com
Common group photo mistakes and problems include:
- one or more subjects always seem to be looking away or in different directions (ie at different photographers)
- subjects blinking (there’s always one)
- someone being missing from the photo
- different moods in the group (some smiling, some serious, some playing up to the camera etc)
- the group being too far away or not all fitting into the shot
While there will always be such challenges with Group Photos there are a number of things you can do to help improve your chances of getting the shot you’re after:
Try shooting from above. Or try a pyramid arrangement with a small group of people. A variety of heights? Stagger their body positions with some leaning into the shot.
