I will be the first to admit that group shots are not my strong suit!  I would much rather shoot a two year old, or a couple of preschoolers!

So this is my dh's boss and his wife and family.  (boss as in the president of his bank)  I was nervous to start with and then they show up with stripes and polkadots!  Yes I had a consult with them, and I suggested solid shirts and even black shirts for a more classic portrait, but they wanted everyone to match the girl's cute shirts......

Anyway, they baby is small and pretty much looked like that in every photo....he was tired, and could hold up his head very good.  But how does the rest of it look?  I used my giant soft box as the main light, and I had to use a large softbox on the side to get more light on them.

Argh!  someday I will be a child photographer.......exclusively!

 I don't think it's bad. Maybe a light from above ?

yeah what is up with people dressing wierd ! ? I'd rather they came in wearing what they wore to work. LOL!  

 I hate doing groups too. I get to do about 20 of them tomorrow ! UGH! Plus a giant one with all of them.

So hey this looks great ! 

 

S

 Not bad at all Marti! It does look JUST a tad dark and could use a light from above as Shelly mentioned.

 Geeze...i think it looks pretty good.....i kinda like their outfits...(i know I'm weird) BUT they all match.....it's a nice change!!!

I think a little brightening up maybe and it will be PERFECT,,,,,,,,,

Jen

It's fine. The lighting is what it is for a group - very similar to what I would have tried, and the clothes - yeah - a little busy, but at least they are similar in color, etc. The thing that bothers me most about it is the composition - the oldest child is so low in the frame. I have a shot done by a chain studio of my extended family very similar to this, and my baby is super low in the frame and it bugs me everytime I look at it. I think everyones head needs to be in the upper half of the frame, so grandma and child needed to sit higher.

Shann:

I think everyones head needs to be in the upper half of the frame, so grandma and child needed to sit higher.

Unfortunately, this isn't always the case.   Family groups are the most difficult of anything I have ever done in the studio because you are dealing with different heights and sizes of individuals.   There is nothing wrong with heads being down low if the pose is good.

There are only two things I see that would really make a difference other than what has already been mentioned.  The girl sitting down front needs to be more toward the right so she fills the gap.

What bothers me more than anything is the way the mother of the baby is holding his crotch.  She needs to be holding him on the legs or on his butt. 

I like thier clothes and I like the picture! KUDOS! I STINK at large groups! LOL

lphoto:

What bothers me more than anything is the way the mother of the baby is holding his crotch.  She needs to be holding him on the legs or on his butt. 

AMEN!  cuz that is also the first thing the parents will see and want it reshot!  my rant for today, proceed with your critiques folks.  

 

I had the little girl standing on a tiny stool to boost her up.  She was to the  front of her mom, but she had a fit and she wanted to sit with gma, so to keep her happy, mom agreed.  It did look better when she was standing. 

Thanks for the critiques everyone.  We did some outside where they were sitting on the ground, and the baby looks more comfy in those.

You've been given great advice so far!! (That I've pocketed away for my own personal use too...lol)

I agree with the woman holding the baby's crotch...it's a bit of an eyesore. But otherwise, it looks great to me!

I'd love to see the outdoor shots too!