The Best of Wedding Photography.pdf - Free

Marcus Bell is brilliant at posing large groups. Here he has composed a lyrical free-flowing group with lots of spontaneity and fun. Notice how
the “end pieces” of the group, the two kids on either edge of the composition, help keep your eye returning to the central members.
stand two and, with heads close together, making the line
of the eyes parallel with both the top two and bottom two.
Strangely, this seems to work, without the monotony one
would expect.
Bigger Groups. Compositions will always look better
if the base is wider than the top, so the final person in a
large group should elongate the bottom of the group.
Each implied line and shape in the photograph should
be designed by you and should be intentional. If the
arrangement isn’t logical (i.e., the line or shape doesn’t
make sense visually), then move people around and start
again.
Try to coax “S” shapes and “Z” shapes out of your
compositions. They form the most pleasing shapes to the
eye and will hold a viewer’s eye within the borders of the
print. Remember that the diagonal line also has a great
deal of visual power in an image and is one of the most
potent design tools at your disposal.
The use of different levels creates a sense of visual interest
and lets the viewer’s eye bounce from one face to another
(as long as there is a logical and pleasing flow to the
58 THE BEST OF WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
arrangement). The placement of faces, not bodies, dictates
how pleasing and effective a composition will be.
When adding a sixth or an eighth person to the group,
the group should still retain an asymmetrical look for best
effect. This is best accomplished by creating elongated,
sweeping lines and using the increased space to slot in extra
people.
As your groups get bigger, keep your depth of field
under control. The stepladder is an invaluable tool for
larger groups, because it lets you elevate the camera position
and keep the camera back (or film plane) parallel to
the group for optimal depth of field. Another trick is to
have the last row in a group lean in while having the first
row lean back, thus creating a shallower subject plane,
making it easier to hold the focus across the entire group.
As your grouping exceeds six people, you should start
to base the composition on linked shapes—like linked circles
or triangles. What makes combined shapes work well
is to turn them toward the center. Such subtleties unify a
composition and make combining visually appealing design
shapes more orderly.