Evening star., 1948-06-13

| OIlC Ol bIlc tOuSIiCoG dsooASAAAiCAco
for any photographer is the group
portrait. Even the ablest Of the
professional cameramen have diff
culties when 1t comes to corrallng
group of people. posing them IN
Just the right way and controlling
them long enough to get q salts
factory picture and one that Will
please each and every one OF them.
Many things can happen to spoil
group picturesque the fault OF
the photographer, but more often
due to actions of individuals in the
group. When faced with a job like
this, you can only do your part, ask
for cooperation, say a little prayer
and shoot the picture.
Taking a picture of an individual
is not so much OF a problem. 1t
takes relatively small amount OF
time to adjust your lights, pose the
sitter, compose the picture and ex-
pose the film. But troubles Will
increase by leaps and bounds with
each additional person included in
the picture. In the first place, you
will be faced with the problem OF
posing two persons so that the
grouping is natural and unaffected.
/ If more are added, even greater in
genuity for arrangement will be
called for. You will find that you
will be unable to give the same at
| tention to each individual when 1t
comes to arranging lights. With
single person you were able to SHIFT
your lights about to compensate
for a long nose, a double chin,
wrinkles and other bad features.
This is not possible with a group.
Instead you will have to do the
best you can under the circum-
Istanees and try for a general light
| ing arrangement. I
Let's get back to the best way we
can pose the subjects. Never string
people out in a long. thin line. In
stead, try to keep them as close as
possible in a compact group. If
there are a large number of per-
sons involved, place them IN two
or more rows with the tallest in the
back row, shorter ones in second
row. while a third row could be
seated on chairs, and, if necessary,
fourth row can be seated on the
ground, withslegs crossed as grace
fully as possible.
Keep Every One Still.
Family groups can be made best
in the living room. Pose the group
as naturally as possible so that
| the picture will be entirely plausible.
| A fireplace is good setting for such
| a group. Some of the family can
be seated in chairs with other men,
bers standing beside them. The big
! job is, of course, to keep every one
still at the moment of exposure.
You will be faced also with the
problem of getting natural" ex-
preston on the face Of each person
at the given time of exposure. The
| best method of effecting this is
through keeping the attention Of all
focused on your actions. At the
split second that you have every
one still and looking in the same
! general direction, make your shot.
There also is a problem in psy-
chology involved when shooting
group of several persons. You must
always keep in mind that each per-
son has his own distinct personality
and will react toward picture TAX
ing in his own peculiar" way. This
fact has been recognized by pho
tooranhers since the daVS of Da-
guerre. So, when you get group
of individuals together for pho
tograph, you will have to study each
person and do your best to please
each one. Just the other day we
ran across humorous, though en-
Tightening series of observations in
booklet, About Photography and
Photographers" written back in
1888 by an eminent British photog-
rapher, H. Baden Pritchard, on this
very subject. We quote:
"Gro,1nS of scientific men, of stan