It’s Tuesday again, meaning it’s time for another tidbit! This week’s tidbit is a part of a new series of tidbits: posing large groups. Posing large groups is an art in itself and in no way do I expect you to be an expert after reading these posts: I’ve been working at posing large groups for several years and I still feel like I have so much more to learn. Hopefully, though, after reading some basic techniques, you’ll feel a little more confident in your posing.
Triangles
When deciding where to place people in a group, a triangle is your best friend. As Bill Hurter remarks in The Portrait Photographer’s Guide To Posing, “The triangle is one of the most pleasing and dynamic forms in all of photography. Because the triangle is a series of three lines, two of which are diagonal, it has the result of providing direction and visual movement in a portrait. Creating triangles and exploiting natural triangles in posing is one of the most basic skills of a good composition.” Well said….which is why I quoted it. Hee hee. 
Here’s a very straight-forward example of triangles used in a large group. Each person’s head marks the corner of the triangle and our brains naturally draw lines between each person’s head to form…say it with me now…triangles.
When you’re posing people, don’t be afraid to ask them to move over a little to either side to achieve your triangle. You can also feel free to experiment with your triangles–you don’t always have to have people simply line up on the steps for a group photo like the one above. But whatever you do, remember…triangles are your friend.
Happy shooting from Vantage!
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