Group photos, quality over quantity

We have all known, as a guest, endless and boring group portrait sessions that have left us perplexed and impatient, haven’t we? And if you’re lucky, it wasn’t on a scorching afternoon!

For the teenager that I was in the 90s, the group photo sessions at the weddings of my older cousins seemed to last for hours! I want to reassure you right away, I will not impose this on you!

As a wedding photographer, I am reportage-oriented. I prefer unposed photos. To be quite frank, when we talk about group photos with my fellow photographers, it’s rarely to say that we love it! I have indeed long considered group photos as a kind of outdated tradition, like a rite of passage that had to be done anyway, to please the elders. A thing of the past, in short, which it was good to denigrate somewhat so as not to look like a tacky photographer! I thought to myself that after all, modern young couples want reportage! Real! True! Not these artificial photos!

I am a little less radical today! If group photos exist, it’s because there are good reasons.

These group photos are precious

I only have two photos from my parents’ wedding. One of them is a group photo on which I can recognize my uncles and aunts, my cousins and their youthful faces, before I was born. I think it’s really cool that they took the time to take this photo that day so that I can see it today.

A wedding reportage gains value over time. We sometimes forget but the photos we take today are the emotions of tomorrow! The photos you will discover a few weeks after your wedding will still exist in 20 or 30 years. This is what I think about when I photograph a wedding.

Reportage photography offers beautiful moments to immortalize. And some of my strongest photos are unposed photos. But it is rare to achieve with a reportage approach photos that bring together all the members of a family. Group photos, on the other hand, allow it. They therefore have their place within a wedding photographer’s service even if he has a modern documentary approach. In 20 years, you will be delighted to have them. More than you can imagine!

And if we have to take these photos, let’s apply ourselves by prioritizing quality, rather than quantity!

In retrospect, I realized that if I didn’t attach importance to group photos, it’s also because I was terrified of public speaking! It was even a phobia that delayed my career change. I was not satisfied with this situation. It seemed important to me to offer married couples a pleasant experience and quality work throughout the day! It was a question of consistency!

So I rethought the exercise and I wondered how to make this moment enjoyable for me, for the bride and groom and for the guests. And above all, how to make the most beautiful images possible! Today to succeed together our group photos, I recommend choosing the right time and place, being guided by the light and reducing the number of photos to take. Here is concretely how it happens:

The right moment

Managing a group of several dozen people requires a certain logistics. The inertia of the crowd can quickly derail the planning of a day. It is therefore important to take group photos when guests are captive and available!

They generally are at the end of the ceremony, whether it’s the town hall or the church. But then we have little control of the situation (lack of space, lack of time, sunlight too bright, high heat, etc). Especially since the exits of ceremonies are generally moments of joy and reunion that we will not want to short-circuit with a posed photo session.

Taking group photos on arrival at the estate, before the opening of the cocktail seems, at first glance, to be a good idea. It is indeed a hollow moment that is practical to occupy with group photos. But doing it at this time is taking the risk of having many absentees, whether they are lost on the road or putting their suitcases at the hotel.

Doing them a good hour after the start of the wine of honor seems to be a good timing most of the time. The guests are then all present. They are relaxed, satiated and quenched. The temperature has dropped and the light is better! It’s the perfect time!

Of course, nothing is set in stone. All this will be decided during our preparation meetings. And we can also decide to do them at two different times if it is more logical to do so.

The right place

For the same reasons (inertia of the crowd), it is important to take group photos as close as possible to where people are. Moving a large number of people can take time and energy, especially if some of them have reduced mobility. So you have to make it as simple as possible!

Generally, as soon as I arrive at the reception venue, I look for a shaded corner with a clear background right next to where the wine of honor is held. I don’t always have what I’m looking for at this time but I avoid having to move guests as much as possible.

The right light

Since these group photos will exist for decades after the wedding, we want them to be beautiful! For this, the light plays an absolutely decisive role. The weather, the orientation of the sun, the presence of shadows, etc. We will anticipate all these aspects during our preparation meetings to allow us to take these photos at the most opportune time. I often use an application that allows me to know in advance the position of the sun on a reception venue!

In the quest for perfect light for group photos, a late-day sun in backlight filtered by the foliage of trees will be the grail! But we can imagine other configurations, like in the example opposite. It was an autumn wedding. Night had already fallen when we arrived at the estate. So I used the light from my flashes to go for this creative rendering.

A short list

In order to preserve maximum fluidity, I will ask you to establish a list that will guide us during this sequence. I recommend keeping it relatively short (between 5 and 7 photos is perfect!). Keep in mind that each photo on the list will take us a few minutes, the time to gather people (on this point, I count on your witnesses to help me! They have to work a little!!!). If you have planned 20 photos on your list, a quick calculation will make you realize that you will then not have much time to enjoy the wine of honor. Would you rather pose for 1 hour than enjoy your loved ones in a moment of reunion?

What photos to take then? The photo with the parents, its expanded version with brothers and sisters or grandparents are a must. The one with the witnesses as well. I particularly like to take special care with this one.

For the rest, you will simply need to include in your list the groups that really make sense to you. Not all configurations are essential. However, if you haven’t seen your 5 cousins for years and you haven’t been together since your childhood, then it’s probably a photo that makes a lot of sense and we will do it! If you keep extraordinary memories of your time at university and your classmates are gathered, it’s an opportunity to take a photo that will last!

Limiting the number of photos on the list will also allow us to improve the quality of each of them. The difference between a good photo and an excellent photo is often a matter of details. It would be impossible for me to focus on these details (composition, light, group distribution, pose, etc) and to do my job properly if we have a long list to follow.

In fact, I could do it! But by extending the duration of this session and therefore, to the detriment of your experience and that of your guests. In short, quality rather than quantity!

Other undeniable advantages to creating this list and sticking to it, the moment can remain fluid and pleasant. We can keep a light and serene atmosphere. I guarantee you that a long and anarchic session will get on your nerves and annoy your guests!

Sticking to a list will also allow you to spare some susceptibilities. Should we include spouses in the family photo? What about the in-laws? Thinking about all this in advance, with a clear head, will allow you to avoid unpleasant situations. I’m not saying this for nothing! These are situations that I have witnessed several times!

And if you have trouble making this list, I will be happy to help you! If things are planned, channeled and integrated smoothly into the rest of the day, then, if it’s the energy of the moment, we can let ourselves go to any form of unexpected, or even a collective crack as in the examples below!

I could also photograph lots of little unusual and happy moments between two more official poses.

You’ve understood, group photos are not just an outdated practice that we do to please the elders. You will be happy to have these photos later.

They do, however, involve some preparation that will allow us to reduce the time spent while preserving quality. I will enjoy during these few minutes to leave my role as a discreet and observant reportage photographer to take on that of a conductor! With the dual objective of producing beautiful images and giving the guests, and yourself, a great collective moment.