Group Portrait Photography Handbook

Photographers of human subjects will appreciate the advice in this guide for capturing groups on film. From basics such as posing and composition to technical aspects of focusing and lighting, this handbook addresses concerns for both amateur and professional photographers. Indoor and outdoor settings are discussed, as are tips for working with subjects to capture a variety of emotions and personalities. This latest edition has been freshened with 180 new images and an expanded section on digital technology, including information on white balance, resolution issues, and digital proofing.

Bill Hurter is the author of The Portrait Photographer's Handbook and is the editor of Rangefinder. He lives in West Covina, California.

Introduction	p. 6
The Technical Aspects of Good Portraiture	p. 9
Camera Format	p. 9
The Effect of Focal Length	p. 10
Lenses and Depth of Field	p. 13
Depth of Focus	p. 14
Shifting the Focus Point	p. 15
Making the Film Plane Parallel to the Group Plane	p. 16
Shifting the Field of Focus	p. 16
Optimum Shooting Apertures	p. 17
Shutter Speeds	p. 18
Film Choice	p. 22
Black & White Films	p. 23
Exposure	p. 23
Metering	p. 25
Posing and Composition	p. 27
Subject Positioning	p. 27
Head and Shoulder Axis	p. 28
Head Positions	p. 29
7/8 View	p. 29
3/4 View	p. 31
Profiles	p. 31
Tilting the Head	p. 31
Head Levels and Placement in Groups	p. 31
The Eyes and Communication	p. 32
Mouths and Expression ... and Communication	p. 33
Chin Height	p. 34
Camera Height and Perspective	p. 34
Posing Hands	p. 35
Three-Quarter and Full-Length Poses	p. 35
Composition	p. 38
The Rule of Thirds	p. 39
The Golden Mean	p. 39
Direction	p. 42
Learning to Identify Form, Line and Direction	p. 43
Pleasing Compositional Forms	p. 44
Line	p. 44
Subject Tone	p. 44
Tension and Balance	p. 46
Building Groups	p. 47
Posing Hierarchy	p. 47
Posing Dialogue	p. 50
Perimeter Check	p. 50
Coordinating Apparel	p. 50
Photographers' Favorites	p. 53
The Armchair	p. 55
Start with Two	p. 55
Add a Third	p. 61
Adding a Fourth	p. 63
Five on Up	p. 67
Obvious Things to Avoid	p. 69
Building Big Groups	p. 70
Naturalness Counts	p. 70
Posing Levels	p. 73
Standing	p. 73
Tall Kneel	p. 74
Short Kneel	p. 74
Sitting	p. 74
Lying Down	p. 74
Stepladders	p. 74
Linking Shapes	p. 74
The Really Big Group	p. 76
Outdoor Lighting	p. 81
Roundness	p. 81
Lighting Ratios	p. 82
Finding Good Light	p. 84
The Best Light	p. 87
One Main Light	p. 87
Reflectors	p. 89
Fill-in Flash	p. 89
Using Flash-Fill, Metering and Exposure	p. 91
Background Control	p. 93
Direct Sunlight	p. 93
Problems Outdoors	p. 94
Indoor Lighting	p. 100
Feathering	p. 100
Lighting the Large Room or Dance Floor	p. 101
Focusing Umbrellas	p. 101
Window Light	p. 103
Subject Positioning	p. 105
Exposure	p. 107
Fill-in Illumination	p. 107
Diffusing Window Light	p. 107
Bounce Flash	p. 108
Lighting Large Groups with Bounce Flash	p. 108
Diffused "Straight" Flash	p. 109
Umbrellas and Softboxes	p. 111
Michael Ayers on Using Umbrellas	p. 111
The Making of the Ultimate Group Shot	p. 111
Glossary	p. 114
Contributing Photographers	p. 118
About the Author	p. 122
Index	p. 123
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

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Group Portrait Photography Handbook

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials