Archive 2021 · Photographing a group of 300 children

dancook
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Photographing a group of 300 children

I've been asked to photograph a school's worth of children for a 'casual photo' for a leaving staff member.

Problem is due to covid, they are bubbled into year groups of about 30-45 children. So they shouldn't be standing closer than two metres from other bubbles.

They have asked about photoshopping them together....

In the school hall there are tiered audience chairs, whilst less exciting than most locations, using chairs/rows for reference we could calculate if 300 children would fit, what framing is needed. We could perhaps use a row of chairs for each year group, and then easily photoshop each row in so they are all together, and see all faces. Could light each row as we go, but they have got light rigging as they use the hall for theatre.

OR we could do it elsewhere..

Outside? changing light sun/cloud/weather
Difficult to visualise how 300 students will fit in the frame
Convoluted measures to be sure they don't overlap (chalk a grid on the ground? or around each group as we go)

We can go up a floor to shoot from a balcony over a field, if that would be high enough.

Anything else I should be thinking about?

Jun 16, 2021 at 02:57 PM

LarryBeemer
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Photographing a group of 300 children

Dan,

Just some random thoughts...

10 rows of 30...9 rows of 34...8 rows of 38...something along those lines is where I might start as far as a formation...

Stagger each row so you can see the person's face between the two people on front of them...

Bleachers on a football/soccer field and use a cherry picker or scissor lift to get the height you would need? I've actually done this and it worked out well.

You might consider asking each age group to wear a matching color shirt...say...all the 10 year olds wear blue, all the 11 year olds wear green....

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LB

Jun 16, 2021 at 03:50 PM

dancook
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Photographing a group of 300 children

They key point is the client wants it to look like they are all 300 are stood together, but due to covid rules - each group has to remain 2 metres apart, so cannot stand together for the photo.

So I either take 10 different photos with each group in their final place and blend the images in photoshop.

Or take one photo with all students, but each group spread 2 metres apart - then cut them fully out and move them closer together and fix all the perspective/size issues the occur.

Jun 16, 2021 at 05:21 PM

LarryBeemer
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Photographing a group of 300 children

dancook wrote:
They key point is the client wants it to look like they are all 300 are stood together, but due to covid rules - each group has to remain 2 metres apart, so cannot stand together for the photo.

So I either take 10 different photos with each group in their final place and blend the images in photoshop.

Or take one photo with all students, but each group spread 2 metres apart - then cut them fully out and move them closer together and fix all the perspective/size issues the occur.

I think I would opt to photograph each group separately. That way you can get close enough to make their faces appear larger in the frame. Then make a collage, much like one might do with a sports action collection.

How big is the final print supposed to be? Or will there even be a print or just a digital rendition?

This is going to be a very labor intensive project. I hope the client realizes that....and you are getting paid appropriately for your efforts.

Good luck.

©¿©
LB

Jun 16, 2021 at 05:44 PM

dancook
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Photographing a group of 300 children

LarryBeemer wrote:
I think I would opt to photograph each group separately. That way you can get close enough to make their faces appear larger in the frame. Then make a collage, much like one might do with a sports action collection.

How big is the final print supposed to be? Or will there even be a print or just a digital rendition?

This is going to be a very labor intensive project. I hope the client realizes that....and you are getting paid appropriately for your efforts.

Good luck.

©¿©
LB

I suspect there will be a large print on a wall somewhere in the school.

If I were to photograph each group separately and composite them - are you suggesting I take this from a height looking down?

With 300 students, once you've place some in the back - will their eyelines be wrong, and heads looking too far up? because they were looking up at your when near.

The hall will be the easiest option with tiered seating, photographing one row at a time, just not the most glamourous.

Jun 17, 2021 at 02:48 AM

Almass
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Photographing a group of 300 children

Challenging shot. The last time I commissioned such corporate shoot for similar number of people was with the use of a mechanical basket at the end of a crane for a diving shot using the Nikkor 14/24mm.

I guess they do not have the budget to rent a crane. in which case a drone can be used.

.....unless you know someone at the local Fire Brigade with a big ladder and they would be convinced to do it free of charge to support the community.

Anyway. This calls for a 14mm diving shot...... unless your PS talent is up for it.!

Edited on Jun 17, 2021 at 03:45 AM · View previous versions

Jun 17, 2021 at 03:00 AM

dancook
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Photographing a group of 300 children

Best I can do for height is an upper floor or a building overlooking a field or courtyard.

I could potentially buy a drone, shoot from high above - and create some sort of pattern out of the 2m gaps between year groups.

If I use a drone, I suppose photoshop options are off the table - although they can be fairly still in the air, they'd need to be still from empty location, all the way until filled location organising junior children - or maybe not, as i'd still have to cut them out completely, though what IQ the drone provides for this i don't know

Jun 17, 2021 at 03:13 AM

dancook
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Photographing a group of 300 children

I went to the school this morning, so I could present an example of the indoor shot

Each year group would stand in a row, take the shot, leave - next year group takes next row up etc.. and blend together

example by Daniel Cook, on Flickr

Decided that if we do it outside we won't try to photograph 300 at once, with 2 metre gaps between year groups - but break it down and have 3 x 100 people photos, and/or 8x 30-40 people photos

I can fit the above frame in a single image and crop from 50MP, it'll be about 1/125th f2.8 ISO 2500 with the lights on.

I wonder that I could use the multishot to get a 200MP image. (nope, takes over a second to take the 16 shots.. and kids can move )

The shot above was taken at 28mm on 24-70 2.8 GM, if I take the shot with my Leica Q2 47MP - I can use f1.7 - and focus on each row individually. and have a long exposure for the empty chairs. I think the Q2 prime will be sharper than the GM zoom

Jun 17, 2021 at 07:24 AM

dancook
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Photographing a group of 300 children

Client has now agreed to this approach for the entire junior school photo

Jun 17, 2021 at 08:50 AM


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