the guys: grouping options

Two posts ago I talked about creating dramatic imagery with the groom and his groomsman. Today, I want to show other options for creating dynamic group imagery on the wedding day. Group shots in general can be a challenging task. Working with multiple heads that need to be visible and recognizable, can lead one to take the easy way out of lining them up in a row or two rows and take a straight on shot. But one thing you have going for you on the wedding day, is the hierarchy of importance is set each and every time. In every wedding the groom is the main man, the prince, the honored one.

Putting the groom in front and making him prominent, is not only a good idea, but expected. No one is vying for attention above the groom, unless he wants a good lashing from the bride; and a smart man does not get in the way of the bride and her perfect day.

Even if you get married in a church, I'm constantly searching for a setting where I can shoot some interesting group shots. I love shooting odd numbers in group shots. The images below show five guys in total. This was a wonderful number to work with, and opened up a number of possibilities.

Sometimes we'll be asked to shoot a wedding that has 7 or more on each side and that can be significantly more challenging, but generally, the same rules apply regardless of size. Remember, if the answer was easy, everyone could do it. Finding the angle and poses that best fit the size of the group is one of the many value benefits of using a professional photographer.