Re: GROUP PHOTOGRAPHY

[Colin Bullard <cirkutoz@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

 

East Coast Photography wrote:

I've been asked to do a group of 125 students for the local school - I have never done group photos before in such a formal state - could someone describe appropriate requirements for using a swing lens (read Noblex 135U) for such photography. regardsCraig

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Craig & Sue
East Coast Photography
Mail: ecphoto@xxxxxxxxxx
Website: http://web.one.net.au/~ecphoto
P.O. Box 80
FORSTER NSW 2428
Ph. 02 6554 9703
Fax. 02 6555 3615.

Craig,

Noblex's are not the best for the job because both 35mm &120  have reliatively wide angle lenses. We have both as well as a Roundshot 35 35s and they just don't do the job satisfactorily nor do wide angle lens, its best to get a lens slightly longer than the standard lens for the camera you choose.
. If you have a Fuji 617 &180mm or a 4x5 &160mm or even a Fuji 6x9 would be the best. I guess that by suggesting a Noblex you are anticipating a panoramic print for your students?.
If you can get the use of chairs and desks from the school you need 49 chairs and about 18 desks and shoot the group at 25 chairs wide with 5 rows high. If this what you want email me and I will give you the full instructions on how to put the group together or better still come down to Sydney and spend some time with us and we will show you how to do it. Its really very simple as long as you can get the school to supply the hardware.
BTW,
25 chairs front row
Second and third rows stand on the ground
Fourth row stands on another row of chairs
Back row stands on the desks.
And very importantly, the 2 rows standing on the ground are the tallest and shortest students in the group.(so that you get sufficient separation to see everyone)

However, the best camera of all and the one I use for nearly all my Yr 12 groups is the venerable #10 cirkut with a 450mm Nikkor with the group in a semicircle around the camera...a beautiful big neg,  razor sharp from end to end, (because everyone is the same distance from the camera on the circle), 10" high X 34" long , faces the size of your thumbnail and printed as a contact print with exposure times of around 5-7 secs.

Long live the #10's

Col Bullard
The Melba Studios Pty. Ltd.
Sydney Australia
02 9816 4277
 

My regards to my friend George Pearl too.......................