A few more thoughts on Piles O' People ... Portraits shooters we need to address this so we have some nice samples to choose from next year ... I'd say 80% of the rejected images of family groups last year (no to sample order) came from this one compositional element ... and happy clients!
First ... let's look at what Sears, JC Penny and Expressly Portraits (Not as example of what to do guys!!!)
Typical Pile O' People stuff ... YUK!!!!
Now ... Two more of our sessions ... let's look ...
Getting there ... but notice even spacing between everyone ... then the one kid (second from the right) right on top of his sister (to the photographers left) ...
 | move him over 4 inches |
| move the sister over 3 5 inches |
| Backup 4 feet with your camera and you've got it on the bottom image ... |
Before you shoot anything!
| Compose the group |
| Backup to your camera |
| Take a look |
| Is it a Pile O' People? ... |
| Are there and Pile O' Poeple elements within the group? |
| If so ... SPREAD THEM OUT |
... much better here:
| Even spacing |
| each person posed differently |
| nice triangles |
| nice spacing |
| all connected but not piled upon one another |
... Sample material!
Again ... space around everyone, different poses for each subject, no piles (the girl on the right and her brother are getting close to Pile O' People mode here ... she could go 2 inches to the photogs right and it would be then Sample material ... like this it's close but not quite there)
Better?
Again ... look at this group ... lots of green surrounding a "Pile O People" ... a bit looser than many I see but still people piled on top of one another in a way that they would never naturally be ... also, all are basically standing in the same pose ... breaking another rule ...
Try This:
| Put the shorter guy on the left |
| Put his hand on the rail |
| Put the taller guy next to his dad for better spacing and more even flow |
| Spread him out |
| Put the girl on the right ... again, she can use the rail to lean / pose differently than her brothers |
| Put the Mom's arm on her son |
Then you have
| Left guy with arm on rail |
| Mom connected to him with her arm (not piled on top of him) |
| Dad Standing stoicly |
| Tall son next to him (spaced ... standing like he might stand next to him, not scrunched in next to him as he would never be in REALITY) |
| Daughter on the far right perhaps leaning with her elbo on the rail |
Spacing even ... all different poses ... No one completely overlaping another ... Sample material
Same as above ... S P R E A D T H E M O U T ! ! ! ! !
Getting there! ... better ... only problem is heads on the left are exactly horizontal (against the rules) ... and son and mom on the right are approaching exactly vertical (against the rules)
Look at these that follow:
| Even spacing |
| No Piles O People |
| All Connected in some small way |
| All in unique Poses |
SAMPLE MATERIAL --- and Happy clients!
Thanks!!!! Happy Shooting!!!!