Last summer I was hired as the family photographer for the Orme family. They were having a family reunion in Provo, Utah and needed family portraits. A lot of family portraits. They had almost 70 people in the photograph! I rented some portable studio lighting that would help light this large group. We were able to use the same lighting for the individual units.
We were able to use the stairs at Nu Skin to help keep everyone in the photograph. An amphitheater would also work. The stairs or steps would help everyone fit. We put the kids in front and as much as possible group family units together. At least get the spouses together. We took a bunch of photos and then in Photoshop I swap heads, eyes, and shadows, so everyone looks great in one photograph.
For the small units we turned the other way so we had some green foliage behind the groups.
I did swap the background of Grandpa and Grandma. Sometimes we work around the mobility of the older family members. This is one reason I work on my Photoshop compositing skills. Replacing backgrounds, skies, or faces is almost a must.
We spent about 3 hours photographing everyone. That is remarkable with how many kids were around. They lose interest quickly. So we keep things upbeat, moving, and interesting for adults and kids a like.
If you’re planning on a family reunion, and need photos, contact me! I can help out!
I’m including a bunch of photos here. We had about 100 final images. There were some variations of the families. We also did intergenerational photos with great-grandpa, grandpa, dad, and son. We also did a photo of just the redheaded children. We did a photo of the great-grandkids. We did sibling photos.