- Analysing The Group Shot.
Here's a selection of groups photographed by Annie Leibovitz, Dan Winters and Miller Mobley. All three are world renowned professional portrait photographers, so are a great resource for analysing what makes a group photograph truly work.
If we take a longer look at the top image, taken from a promotional shoot for a movie, the first impression is that there is a dynamic going on that couldn't apply to an individual portrait; in fact the image works on many levels, it just feels so right. Sure, the protagonists are all actors and great at posing, the camera loves them, but there's much more going on here that the photographer controls.
The lighting set up, the positions of each person and the poses are just about perfect. Firstly, there seems to be only one light source. Each of the men have only one side of their face lit up, known as split lighting, which is both dramatic and strong and commonly used in movie photographs to make the actor look dark and mysterious. The woman is facing the light source, so has a more open appeal.
Each person was almost certainly shot individually, (getting such a group of A-listers in one studio on the same day would surely be difficult), and then knitted together during the post processing. It doesn't stop them overlapping and therefore having an interaction, but it also gives an impression that each individual could be a good stand alone portrait, which is credit to the photographer's skill. Their pose and lighting is strong enough to take individually, but by grouping them together in specific positions a new dynamic is created.
Looking further at the positioning, Winters has taken into consideration the height differences to good effect. Tom Cruise, although a huge star and worthy of a central placing, is the shortest person here. Seating the two men either side of him - both of which perfectly hit the rule of thirds - increases Cruise's height relative to the others and gives balance to the centre of the image. The two figures on the outside give a broader balance, particularly introducing a rhythm to the photograph of standing/sitting/standing/sitting/standing drawing your eyes down and up accordingly. You start at Crowe, down to Bardem, up the arm of Cruise to his face, down to Depp, across to Boutella's face, then down her arm, towards Bardem again, completing the circle.
The poses are also interesting, as they too help move the eyes around the picture and give it a dynamic motion. Both seated men are facing inwards giving a kind of gravity to the centre ground. They also give a strong triangular shape to the image, particularly with the position of their legs, adding a secondary more central circle to the image. The arms of Cruise and Sofia Boutella overlap and point towards the person next to them, further moving your eyes along to the next person. Boutella also has her hands on her hips, an empowering pose, giving strength to the only female in the shot.
All of these techniques can be replicated relatively cheaply with any small group utilising a little knowledge gained from really looking at successful images and why they work so well. A great photograph sucks you in and gives you more the more you stare at it, and with groups you have an opportunity to design shapes, rhythms and dynamics that elevate the picture beyond the being a simple portrait.