I will be shooting a family with no flash and natural light... outside or in a very bright room with many windows. I have both a 24/70 and 105 prime lens. I usually shoot aperture priority and normally focus on one individual in the portrait. Outside I normally shoot 4.5, but I don't have much experience shooting more than four people in a group and getting the same result I'd get with just one person, which is a beautiful portrait with a very nice blurry depth of field in the back. Any tips would be appreciated on how to get the best family portrait shooting in natural light with the noted equipment. I've been told that when you shoot a group of people you don't want to get lower than F8. But when I try that, I don't get the blurry depth of field I normally get with F4.5. I have a tripod I can use, but I'm just trying to get an idea where to start from. I don't want to get a pocket camera kind of photo, and clearly I need all four people in focus.
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Shooting Family Portrait with 24/70 or 105 lens
- Thread starter galit713
- Start date
Any tips would be appreciated on how to get the best family portrait shooting in natural light with the noted equipment. I've been told that when you shoot a group of people you don't want to get lower than F8. But when I try that, I don't get the blurry depth of field I normally get with F4.5. I have a tripod I can use, but I'm just trying to get an idea where to start from. I don't want to get a pocket camera kind of photo, and clearly I need all four people in focus.
Aperture and DOF will depend on how you pose the group. If they are lined up within the same DOF plane, lined up evenly beside each other you should be able to shoot below f/8. If they are staggered or in a line that the front person is closer and the last person is farther from camera then you will need aperture that allows enough DOF to keep them all in focus.
If you want them all in sharp focus then use your DOF preview and get your aperture at what you need. Then move your background farther away from the group or move the group farther from the background, and it should blur out.
You will likely need to use the wide angle lens for this shot if its several people side by side.
The background will blur if it is far enough behind your subjects even at f/8.
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I will be shooting a family with no flash and natural light... outside or in a very bright room with many windows. I have both a 24/70 and 105 prime lens. I usually shoot aperture priority and normally focus on one individual in the portrait. Outside I normally shoot 4.5, but I don't have much experience shooting more than four people in a group and getting the same result I'd get with just one person, which is a beautiful portrait with a very nice blurry depth of field in the back. Any tips would be appreciated on how to get the best family portrait shooting in natural light with the noted equipment. I've been told that when you shoot a group of people you don't want to get lower than F8. But when I try that, I don't get the blurry depth of field I normally get with F4.5. I have a tripod I can use, but I'm just trying to get an idea where to start from. I don't want to get a pocket camera kind of photo, and clearly I need all four people in focus.
Welcome to the forum.
If you are shooting a group shot, I would not use the 105mm lens. 24-70mm f2.8 would be my preferred choice at f5.6 or smaller aperture using your D700.
As a semi-pro, what exactly do you mainly shoot to earn cash with your photography?