Happy • Get Together

Happy • Get Together

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Happy • Get Together

Sharing happiness is way better than enjoying it by your own. Get together with your family and friends and let the index of happiness climb exponentially! Same for photography, it is easier to convey the sense of happiness in your photos when photographing a group of two or more people. The following tips on shooting technique can help you capture photos of happy get together in an unconventional way.

Separate the Subjects from a Blurry Background

Title : 《時光短暫..快樂無價..不就是拍照的本意嗎?》 Club Canon Member : SW
EOS 6D • EF 50mm f/1.2L USM • 1/6s • f/2.0 • ISO 3200
Theoretically, a small aperture is used when taking group photos in order to ensure that subjects are in focus within the depth of field. However, we can also make use of the characteristic of a large aperture to achieve a nice out-of-focus background to make the subjects stand out. This can help drawing the focus of viewers to the happy faces and expressions and make the photos more one-of-a-kind.

The above photo was taken with an EF 50mm f/1.2L USM prime lens. 50mm is the commonly used focal length for portraits. A shallow depth of field made possible by a large aperture turned the background lights into attractive round bokeh and made the photo look dreamy and gorgeous. As f/1.2 will result in an extremely shallow depth of field, some of the subjects may fall out of the depth of field when photographing a group of people. In such cases, we can reduce the aperture a bit to f/2.0 or f/2.8 to ensure sharp capture of the faces.

To achieve a balance between blurry background and portrait’s sharpness, mid-range lenses such as 50mm or 85mm would be nice options. These lenses can allow for more interaction between the subject and photographer, as we can easily take half-length shots by standing closer to the subject or full-length shots with more background by moving farther away. The shooting technique for group photos is pretty much the same as normal portraits. Just be sure that you stand a step back to make room for two to three more people in the composition.

Capture the Atmosphere with Large Aperture

Title : 《溫馨的一幕》 Club Canon Member : Paul Lo
EOS 5D Mark III • EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM • 1/250s • f/1.8 • ISO 5000
It is common that we have dinners or gatherings with family and friends after work and enjoy the bustling city nightlife. To take photos at night, we need more advanced equipments. The above photo was taken with an EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM prime lens. The lens’ large aperture allowed more light to enter when shooting in a low-light environment, making it possible to use a faster shutter speed to freeze the intimate moment. In addition, we can use a higher ISO setting and shoot with a large aperture to retain the ambient lighting and mood for more impressive result.

EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM is commonly used for taking feature shots of portraits. 85mm offers a perspective similar to a look at the subject in close range, and can achieve a perfect balance between separating the subject and retaining the background for a natural photo result. The photographer of the above photo did a good job in capturing the moment when only the foreign couple was facing the camera. The intimacy of the couple was well captured by using a large aperture to defocus the people in the background.

Capture the Sweet Parent-Child Moment 

Title : 《Having Fun ~》 Club Canon Member : terryhaha
EOS 5D Mark III • EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM • 1/160s • f/2.8 • ISO 160
The happy scenes of parents playing with their kids make good photographic subject too. A telephoto lens is recommended so that you can shoot unobtrusively from a distance and capture the natural expressions as your family is having fun. Taken with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM telephoto zoom lens, the above photo captured the intimate moment of kids climbing on the mother’s back. As a telephoto lens can achieve a compressed perspective with out-of-focus background, the subjects were nicely separated from the background and had a prominent presence in the photo.
Title : 《Capture Love Moment》 Club Canon Member : Chi Chung
EOS 6D • EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM • 1/180s • f/2.8 • ISO 50
Apart from the lens choice, lighting is also an important element to create mood for the photos. In general, we can shoot with ambient light coming from the side or behind the subjects, and achieve a normal exposure by using a large aperture and increasing the exposure compensation. The above photo looked dreamy and sweet with the use of side lighting to create higher contrast, accentuating the contours of the kid’s head and mother’s face as well as creating halo around the hairline.

Search for a Focus in the Scene 

The subjects of the above mentioned photos are mostly family or friends of the photographer. This kind of shooting involves a great deal of interaction, but is limited to a few number of people. To create photos that truly capture a large group of people getting together, we have to go out and explore in the community. Occasions like sports games or special festive events may offer some good opportunities to shoot.
Title : 《雀躍》 Club Canon Member : SilentRock
EOS 5D Mark II • EF 17-40mm f/4L USM • 1/80s • f/4.0 • ISO 1600
Taken at 17mm wide-end, this photo unavoidably captured objects and people in the surrounding environment which were irrelevant to the main theme. How to create a theme for the photo would be the key for a successful shot. A useful tip to this is to capture action that shows coherence. This can help separate the main subjects from the surrounding, irrelevant people. For example, this photo captured the moment when the kids were having a spirit circle. This can help draw the focus of viewers to the center of the circle and overlook the people around.
Title : 《Cool down.》 Club Canon Member : Teenylife
Canon EOS 5D Mark II • EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM • 1/1250s • f/4.0 • ISO 400
This photo captured the synchronized actions of water splashing at a traditional Japanese festival, complementing the subjects with water splashes to convey the festive atmosphere. This photo and the above one both captured a large group of people in a positive and joyful atmosphere.
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