AboutDon Wood Expertise I have been a professional photographer for 26 years. Wedding, portraits, passports, copies, groups pix, reunions, etc. Specialty in photography of large groups. I also have worked in newspaper photography for most of my photographic years. I have built and maintained a b/w darkroom, and a color darkroom.
Experience I have been a professional photographer for 35 years. I am transitioning to digital photography so I might be able to help in that field. I'm retired now but am still able to be helpful in the field. I have built a b/w, color darkroom, worked in a color lab, worked in the newspaper field both in darkroom and as a shooter.
Question When is the best time of day to take portraits of families in a park setting? Do I want the sun above me, behind me, etc?
Also - In your opinion what is the best lens to use when taking such portraits (4 adults & 5 children). I have a Nikon D80 with 2 lenses (Nikkor 18-135mm and 50mm)
I thank you in advance for any advice you may share with me.
Answer In the park setting, I would not want the sun shining into the eyes of your subjects, it would cause squinting. Try to find an area with some shade. You could position yourself so that there is something blocking the direct sun at your subjects. Perhaps you can place them under a nice tree, again being careful of where the sun is shining and casting shadows. You will want to not be photographing into an open area such as a field that would be lighted more fully than your subject. This is because you will wind up exposing for the lightest areas of the picture which would be the field, not your subjects.
As to the lens, the zoom might be better if only because you can fill the frame with the subject by changing the zoom, not by moving yourself closer or farther away as would be the case with the 50 mm. All this being said, however, use the lens you feel comfortable with.
You might consider having the men stand behind the wives and group the children in front of the parents as opposed to having the children jumbled up. Since this is outside, perhaps you could find some natural phenomenon for the women to sit on. You may want to avoid using a chair as this would not seem to be natural.
Good luck to you, have fun, don't be afraid to take a lot of pictures. Remember that with 1 person you have a 50-50 chance of them blinking or being goofy. With 2 people you have 1 chance in 4 of having a good picture of both. With three, you'd have 1 chance in 6 of having the perfect picture. Children are unpredictable, I had a son that would always spoil a picture in some way while the rest of us were looking our best. Then when he was OK his sisters would get the giggles about his antics. It was difficult to take the picture.
Have fun with taking the picture, if you are having fun, they will also be having fun. Be creative, use several different poses. They will love you for your creativity.
Thanks for asking, if I can help you again, please ask.
Don
