non cheesy group shots

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joescrivens

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I have someone who wants a shoot done. There are 5 of them, 2 couples and a 1 year old, but they really don't want to stand in a line and all smile cheesily into the camera. Something more natural can be a challenge with a group like this. My first thoughts are to do a natural walk in the woods type effect like I have done before like in these examples. Am also thinking it could be better to have 2/3 seperate shots together in a triptych.

Would like to see others non cheesy group shots for ideas

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For school photos they now take them in small groups and photoshop/stitch them together. wonder if you could do something similar?
 
Sorry this is OT, and not at all helpful, but...
First photo, what is Dad holding in his left hand? Looks like a pack of CD-Rs.
(They're great photos, by the way)
 
dave111 said:
For school photos they now take them in small groups and photoshop/stitch them together. wonder if you could do something similar?
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for school photos they use the white background, stitching together natural environments isn't as easy. Plus it still doesn't acheive what the client wants, the lack of cheese
 
So swinging the kid with both parents looking at him and smiling has never been done before and is not cheesy?

All adults looking lovingly at the child hasn't been done before so couldn't possibly be cheesy?

That word cheesy absolutely gets on my photographers wick, surely you have to have some input to get a result?

I've lost count of the amount of times a client has said they don't want cheesy only for me to do a classic (I refuse to call it cheesy) pose and they go off happy as larry.
 
Daryl said:
Love no 3 Joe.... Why are they throwing the kid out of the picture in the next image?

Nice shot no 1 but to me looks like a retirement pension brochure Photo.
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I'll tell my dad you think he belongs in a nursing home :lol:
 
clarke said:
So swinging the kid with both parents looking at him and smiling has never been done before and is not cheesy?

All adults looking lovingly at the child hasn't been done before so couldn't possibly be cheesy?

That word cheesy absolutely gets on my photographers wick, surely you have to have some input to get a result?

I've lost count of the amount of times a client has said they don't want cheesy only for me to do a classic (I refuse to call it cheesy) pose and they go off happy as larry.
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you've missed the point.

I said in the OP

"but they really don't want to stand in a line and all smile cheesily into the camera."

I never once said that my examples showed things that had never been done before. They demonstrated group shots where people weren't standing in a line smiling into a camera.

All the shots presented show moments that could be happening in real life, they just happened to have been captured by a camera. At no point in real life do you all stand still and smile remaining stationary.

1. was a completely candid shot of my family during a walk

2. they never had direction to look down at the kids, I just told them to walk towards me and during the walk they were all engaged in conversation

3. same as 2

4. They swung him with no direction - it's something parents do.

So my point is that I'm trying to get ideas for moments that capture the kinds of natural interactions people have, I never said it couldn't be directed. The only remit is they don't want to be static looking at a camera because it's a forced experience, wouldn't happen in real life and so to the client it doesn't depict real life.

I personally have no problem with a static look at the camera shot, I do loads of these and have loads of my own family doing it, I think it looks fine - it's just not what this client wants is all.
 
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was hoping for a few more share from peeps of group shots they have done
 
Props ........

If in the woods use fallen trunks as posing benches, find a gate for some to sit/lean/climb, if you have dry ground - do the all heads together in a circle/shape and shoot from above, upright tree and have them peering from behind it a la Monkees, The hill - shoot from below so they are on the crest and have sky behind them as the backdrop (even makes a good silhouette).....

I could be here all day giving you ideas.............
 
Nice shot no 1 but to me looks like a retirement pension brochure Photo.[/QUOTE] :lol:

Joe - have you registered with pinterest? There are some great photographers work over there and you can make up mood boards and pin your favourite work. Great for inspiration and collecting ideas.
 
jeniveeev said:
Joe - have you registered with pinterest? There are some great photographers work over there and you can make up mood boards and pin your favourite work. Great for inspiration and collecting ideas.
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I have but I was advised not to go there as pinterest take some form of ownership of your content if you post it - have you heard this?
 
No, I didn't miss the point, I have had exactly the same comments from clients as you and you didn't have to dissect up the post, what is it with this forum? Are you all brainwashed into a defensive mode of some sort?

Your family shots are superb, groups smiling in to the camera are great too, not cheesy, even better with hard earnt skills that lean to expert composition and hanging on for 'that' moment.

My point is, anything can be labelled cheesy by anyone. It depends on what the client is looking for, you find what they like and produce great photos but never let anyone call your work cheesy, it's all in the eye of the beholder.
 
clarke said:
No, I didn't miss the point, I have had exactly the same comments from clients as you and you didn't have to dissect up the post, what is it with this forum? Are you all brainwashed into a defensive mode of some sort?

Your family shots are superb, groups smiling in to the camera are great too, not cheesy, even better with hard earnt skills that lean to expert composition and hanging on for 'that' moment.

My point is, anything can be labelled cheesy by anyone. It depends on what the client is looking for, you find what they like and produce great photos but never let anyone call your work cheesy, it's all in the eye of the beholder.
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Joe is a photopathologist - he will dissect anything - sometimes just for the sake of it.

He means no harm and is very curious, I am sure he doesn't mean to be defensive but I agree with your post.
 
clarke said:
No, I didn't miss the point, I have had exactly the same comments from clients as you and you didn't have to dissect up the post, what is it with this forum? Are you all brainwashed into a defensive mode of some sort?

Your family shots are superb, groups smiling in to the camera are great too, not cheesy, even better with hard earnt skills that lean to expert composition and hanging on for 'that' moment.

My point is, anything can be labelled cheesy by anyone. It depends on what the client is looking for, you find what they like and produce great photos but never let anyone call your work cheesy, it's all in the eye of the beholder.
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I'm not being defensive but you are turning the thread into a discussion about what is and isn't cheesy. which isn't the point. Whatever the client happens to call it (they picked the word cheesy, but whatever, could have said "traditional") I think I described clearly what they were looking for and really I was just hoping for examples showing that from people to give me more ideas.

The word cheesy seems to be something you don't like, but it's largely irrelevant in the thread as like you said - one persons cheese is another ones ham? I defined their interpretation of cheesy and am looking for examples of photo's that are not in that definition. That's all :shrug:
 
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