The Subjects
These parents have adopted a number of children. They are amazing people who have so much love in their hearts for others.
Posing Chairs
The chairs that we use for large groups are noteworthy. When photographing a large group, I use flat-back chairs with flat arms that allow me to pose a number of people comfortably. Looking at the facing-page image, you can see that there is a boy seated in the camera-right chair. There are also two other boys seated on each arm—and one of their sisters is leaning forward onto the back of the chair. Because the chairs are solid and have flat surfaces, they allow me to pose large families nicely.
“When photographing a large group, I use these flat-back chairs with flat arms that allow me to pose a number of people comfortably.”
Additional images from the same session.
Clothing Selection
Clothing becomes more important when we are photographing a large group. I still want everyone in dark tones, but these girls are of an age where they may not to wear a t-shirt or a turtleneck sweater. The clothing we request for our black & white portraits is usually simple, and most people have the needed attire in their closets.
We also pick the clothing based on the style of the photograph. In this case, most of the clothing is casual except for the dress on the young woman on the left and Mom’s necklace. Because our portraiture is low-key and more spontaneous, we want the clothing to have a freedom of movement and a feeling of forgiveness to it. If Dad had worn a coat and tie, I would hear that they really liked the photo—but his tie was distracting. By keeping the clothing simple, these problems are avoided.
Camera and Settings
This was photographed with the Hasselblad H4D with a 150mm lens.