Diffusing Group Shots

If you’re going to be shooting a group outside—maybe you’re doing a family portrait, or a family reunion, or the group formals for a wedding—a small 30" 1-stop diffuser isn’t going to do the job. You’re going to need something much bigger—a scrim. A scrim is essentially a really large 1-stop diffuser, so large that they usually have an aluminum frame built around them, and you’ll generally need a couple of light stands to support the scrim and a few sandbags to keep your scrim from taking flight. Also, depending on which setup you get, you’ll probably also want a socket to allow you to tilt the scrim, so you can position it between the sun and your subjects. I know this sounds like a lot of work, but you can have it up and running in just a few minutes, and it collapses down into a small bag, so it’s easy to transport and fairly lightweight (well, everything but the sandbags, they’re . . . ya know . . . filled with sand). The scrim shown here is a Lastolite Skylite 6.6x6.6' (the frame and diffuser together run around $295). Another popular large-sized diffuser is the 6x6' Scrim Jim from F.J. Westcott for around $439 for the frame and the 1-1/4-stop diffuser.