Summary

The article discusses a photographer's approach to capturing group photos, focusing on capturing natural and candid moments rather than traditional posed shots.

Abstract

The article begins with a question from a fellow photographer, Michael Bryant, about how to respond to a well-meaning parent who tells a group of kids to say "cheese" during a photo shoot. The author then shares their approach to group photos, using an example from a Hymer Van meet-up in Morro Bay, California. The author describes the classic group shot taken by another photographer, Dave Burnet, and then introduces the concept of the "Rembrandt Group Shot," inspired by Rembrandt van Rijn's masterpiece, "The Night Watch." The author explains that instead of trying to capture individuals smiling nicely at the camera, they prefer to capture the entire group having a good time. The author suggests setting everyone up traditionally and then asking them to say something to their neighbor, taking several shots on burst mode to capture candid moments. The article concludes with a bonus tip for remembering names by taking a photo of someone holding a name tag.

Opinions

The author believes that traditional group photos can be boring and lack personality.
The author prefers to capture candid moments and natural expressions in group photos.
The author suggests that photographers should give up on trying to capture the perfect shot and instead focus on capturing the group's unique personalities.
The author believes that group photos should be fun for everyone, including the photographer.
The author suggests that photographers should not ask their subjects to say "cheese" and instead try to make them laugh or engage in conversation.
The author believes that taking a photo of someone holding a name tag can be a helpful tool for remembering names.
The author values capturing the group as a whole rather than trying to remember all the individuals within the group.

Group Photographs With a Natural Vibe

Don’t say “Cheese.” Have Fun With It

In response to my last article, “The Holiday Photo from Hell,” a fellow Medium Live View author, Michael Bryant, asked me: “I welcome any advice you may have on how to respond to a well-meaning parent that tells any group of kids I am photographing to say ‘cheese.’ I have started to tell teenagers to do anything but smile when that happens. This may be one of the reasons why I no longer get invited to holiday parties…”

I think Michael’s question deserves a solid answer.

So, Michael and Fellow Medium Followers, this is my approach to group photos, with and without children.

As an example, I want to share my experience from last October at a Hymer Van Meet-up in beautiful Morro Bay, California. “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow” was a van owner gathering, and according to our Facebook page, 60 people and 30 vans attended.

We were a social bunch with a daily happy hour, nightly campfire, a Friday night potluck dinner, a Saturday night raffle, Van tours, gadget shows, and Hymer “Healing” Sessions where vans were fixed by another van owner.

The Classic Group Shot

The Hymer Van Meet-up was a memorable gathering; we all wanted to recall who we met and what a good time we had. This included a group photograph. I was invited to assist another photographer, Dave Burnet, who was on the agenda to take the group photograph.

Even before we gathered everyone together, I set my expectations. Dave wanted everyone in a traditional composition, smiling and looking at the camera.

Smile! “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow,” Hymer Van Meet-up Group, image by Dave Burnet with a Cannon DSLR on a tripod (assisted by Cynthia A Whelan).

And he did a great job! A picture-perfect, beautiful, traditional image of smiling van owners.

Consider adding another approach to group photos.

The Rembrandt Group Shot

Most photographers are familiar with photographic “Rembrandt Lighting,” but there is more than one lesson in Rembrandt’s beautiful classic paintings.

Rembrandt van Rijn’s 1642 masterpiece, The Night Watch, is on view at the Rijksmuseum. It has released what it claims is the “largest and most detailed photograph of any artwork,” it’s viewable for free on its website. The photo is 717 gigapixels, or 717,000,000,000 pixels, in size!

Image: *The Night Watch* by Rembrandt, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In 2022, I visited the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. I observed a valuable photography lesson from the museum: Rembrandt didn’t ask the artillerymen to say, “Cheese!”

Rembrandt van Rijn’s 1642 masterpiece, The Night Watch, is famous for the classical Rembrandt Lighting. Maybe more importantly, it is one of the first group images where everyone is very animated and not staring straight at the viewer out of the canvas.

From my experience viewing The Night Watch, I realized what I like about group photos.

I like it when the entire group looks like they are having a good time. Instead of trying to capture individuals smiling nicely at the camera, I want to grab some personality, movement, and fun. I give up on getting the perfect shot.

I set everyone up traditionally, reminding people, “If you can’t see the camera, the camera can’t see you.” Then I take several shots on burst.

Next, I ask, “Now, take a moment and say something to your neighbor.” I start taking a bunch of images on burst mode. Basically, I am looking for a candid group shot.

We are a chatty bunch. “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow,” Hymer Van Meet-up Group, image by Cynthia A Whelan with a handheld iPhone 10s max on Live View mode (assisted by Dave Burnet).

I prefer to remember the group as a whole rather than trying to remember all the individuals within the group. It is not a masterpiece. It is not perfect. Not everyone is recognizable. Not everyone is looking at the camera. Not everyone is smiling. Nobody said, “Cheese!” But best of all, the resulting image looks like everyone is having a good time together.

And we were having a good time.

I learned about taking group shots when I attended Burning Man. It was hard to get a serious group photo, and that was a good thing.

A Bonus Tip

I am terrible at remembering names.

Here is a bonus group photo trick. Want to remember somebody’s name? Ask the group or family member if you may take a photo of them holding a name tag.

At our Van Meet-up, we were all asked to have our photo shot with a piece of paper that displayed our name and campground site number. This way, we could have a chance to remember the fun people we were talking with around the campfire. My Terrific Traveling Partner would ask me, “Who was it that had that cool van modification?” and I would look up their photo, find them on the Facebook page, and send them a message saying how much I appreciated meeting them and “can you share the link to that cool think you were telling me about at the campfire?

A different kind of group photo from the Van Meet-up in 2022. My Terrific Traveling Partner and I were in Campsite #3, Image by Kathy Carswell.

I could stay in touch because I had a photograph matched with a name. It was easy to take, easy to file, and easy to look up when needed.

Here is a family modification. Do you have family members that you rarely visit in person, or do you have children who can’t remember Aunt Susan’s name? Take an individual photo of family members, maybe include a name tag, and maybe include the year they were born or the location of where they live. Polaroid cameras are also great for taking a photo to remember someone’s name.

Even though we only see each other at family gatherings, I want my children to know they are loved and remembered by relatives (or friends) living in other parts of the world. When family members come up in conversation, you can remind children what Aunt Susan looks like.

Don’t Say Cheese!

The next time your family wants you to help them with a group photo, don’t ask them to say “Cheese,” Make a joke — “Who cut the cheese?” Make them laugh, get them to visit with each other, and take a million images with the hope and dream of getting something that captures the group’s unique personalities.

Most of all, make it fun for everyone, including you, the photographer.

Thank you, Laura Oehler-Armenia, Roland Armenia, Julie G Reed, Katy Seybold, and Kathy Carswell, for organizing the 2023 Morro Bay meet-up for Hymer owners. It was a lot of fun.

And thank you for being a part of Medium’s Live View audience. Meet my fellow Live View Writers! Live View features authors from various backgrounds who share their passion for photography. You can meet them all, read their stories, and follow them by visiting the Live View About page.

If you think this is a great photography tip, follow me on Medium or visit my website, “Whelan on Walkabout.”