I've been booked to photograph an entire school this week. Now, as happy as I am to photograph portraits, I'm not actually used to doing large school groups. My thoughts turned to how I will manage 400-500 children in a variety of group sizes - and it will be a case of 'managing' them - to maximise the chances of successful results.
I chose to primarily be a portrait photographer because I'm good with people, because I enjoy the interaction and because I have confidence in my people skills. However, it's one thing to engage with a single person and earn a natural smile from them, but it's another to get larger groups to all smile at the same time.
I came across this article by the excellent Photography Concentrate site, which offers up '51 Ways To Get People To Smile For A Photo'. I thought it fun, insightful and full of good ideas from an experienced photographer. There are plenty of suggestions and I thought that I might try the "ANGRY FACE! SAD FACE! SILLY FACE! HAPPY FACE!" idea for the school kids. I can imagine they'll all like the playfulness. I'll let you know how it goes. Wish me luck...
http://photographyconcentrate.com/51-ways-to-get-people-to-smile-for-a-photo
Mike Bradford Photography