44. WORKING WITH GROUPS I: DEPTH OF FIELD AND FOCUS

UP TO THIS point, I’ve only discussed portraiture as a process between two people—the photographer and a single subject. However, group portraits are also extremely common. All of the tips and techniques discussed so far also apply to group portraits: you’ll make the same types of considerations for groups in regard to light and composition, and many posing considerations are appropriate as well. However, there are a couple relevant techniques and considerations that are important to keep in mind for group portraiture.

The first consideration is a simple one, though it’s often overlooked by portrait photographers. When you photograph two or more people together, it is best to position them so each subject’s eyes are on the same parallel plane relative to the camera. Typically, portraits are made with a fairly shallow depth of field, meaning the aperture is very open. Aperture values of f/1.4, 2, and 2.8 usually provide a soft, out-of-focus background on which your subjects are isolated and in focus (Figure 44.1). However, the depth of field these aperture values provide is shallow enough that any subject in the group who is not on the same plane of focus will appear soft and out of focus (Figure 44.2). This is typically considered a mistake, especially when all subjects should share the portrait spotlight. The simple solution is to position your subjects the same distance from the camera, and when you focus on one of their eyes, the plane of critical focus should apply to everyone in the scene (Figure 44.3). This is usually a more pressing issue when working with groups of two or three, since those shots will most likely be tightly framed.

44.1 Even with portraits of more than one person, a soft, out-of-focus background is often desired to isolate the subjects from what can be a relatively busy setting.
ISO 400; 1/1000 sec.; f/2.8; 180mm

44.2 At f/2, the depth of field is so shallow that the camera-left subject is out of focus, even though her eyes are just three inches behind the camera-right subject’s head.
ISO 400; 1/550 sec.; f/2; 90mm

44.3 By positioning the camera-left subject to where her eyes are the same distance from the camera as the camera-right subject’s eyes, she was brought into focus. This is the only way to maintain focus on your subjects with such shallow depth of field before increasing your aperture value.

However, what happens when you’re shooting a larger group, or you cannot keep even a small group, on the same plane? This is when stopping the aperture down to gain depth of field is essential (Figure 44.4 and Figure 44.5). Gaining depth of field means the space around the plane of critical focus widens in the frame. Although there will be less of that nice, soft bokeh of a background, having each of your subjects in focus is more important.

If your group portrait shows some subjects in focus and others that are not, you can move your subjects so all are positioned on the same optical plane, or increase your aperture value to ensure the right depth of field to ensure sharpness in the frame. Personally, I like to do both. I line everyone up on the same plane, and then instead of shooting at f/2.8, I might shoot at f/5.6 or f/8 (Figure 44.6). This usually absolves the issue, especially with a small group. The thing to avoid in this case is a busy background that remains in focus due to the increased depth of field.

44.4 At f/2, only one of the portrait subjects can be in focus when they are at different distances from the camera.
ISO 100; 1/400 sec.; f/2; 85mm

44.5 To gain enough depth of field to have both subjects in focus, I stopped my aperture down to f/11. This in turn brought more of the background into focus as well.
ISO 400; 1/50 sec.; f/11; 85mm

44.6 For this group shot of one of my photography classes in the Davis Mountains, I stopped the aperture down to f/8 on a wide lens to ensure the portrait had enough depth of field for everyone to be in focus.
ISO 200; 1/75 sec.; f/8; 14mm