Have you tried the Metz line of flashes?

Thanks . . . no problem!

Here are a couple of lighting set-up suggestions for your group shots. The least expensive way to go is to invest in a couple of shoot through umbrellas (about $15.00 each on Ebay) plus a couple of light stands (or volunteers work too :-) )

Lights should be set about a foot higher than the tallest person in the group. When close-in, like this set-up, Ebay remote flash triggers work great with fresh batteries and only cost about $20.00 each.

Sorry . . . no longer have the source as I found it some 6 or 7 years ago. At the time I did copy the quote for my files and here is what it said:

“Yes, you should format your card before each use in the camera of intended use. The thing is, if you simply delete pictures in camera, the MFT (master file table) at the beginning of the partition can get heavily fragmented, and the card can start losing data. It doesn’t really wear away a particular bit of the card – they all have wear-leveling algorithms built in so that they write data evenly across a card rather than using it sequentially.
Plus, when you delete, you’ll still end up with folders and hidden thumbnail files and that lot, which can fragment the MFT even more.
I’ve lost a card full of images that way.”

It was in an online digital photography school, but can't recall which one. It seemed logical to me at the time, so I have never deleted any images in my camera since reading it. Better to be safe than sorry.

Stef C asked:
"Are 'professional' lenses only ones that have a constant aperture, or do plenty of pros use telezooms with varying maximum apertures?"

True - Equipment does not make you a professional. The title "professional lens" is a selling ploy by Nikon and Canon.
True - There are "professionals" and there are "professionals"
True - A professional IS one who gets paid - unfortunately ability or knowledge has nothing to do with it.

I became a "professional" photographer in 1959. It was the black and white era of 8x10, 5x7 and 4x5 view cameras. There was other great equipment available, like Leica 35mm and Rollieflex 2 1/4" square . . . but they were used only by photojournalists and the odd amateur. Portrait, wedding, commercial and architectural photographers pretty well stuck to the large format. I still make my living in photography and was one of the first to join the digital gang.

I shoot Canon. I use only "L" lenses, not because they make me a "professional", or that I couldn't earn my living without them.

Why then only "L" glass?

1) I have in the past used Tamron 28-70, F/2.8 constant, which was great glass, but slow focusing, and there were light situations where it wouldn't focus at all. The second camera with "L" glass at the same location at the same time, focused flawlessly. As a "professional" I can't afford to have that happen.
2) In very low light situations your camera has difficulty "seeing" if it is at F/5.6 or smaller. A lens that is a constant F/2.8 or faster has a better chance of seeing the detail necessary to focus in those circumstances. Remember that even if you are shooting at F/8, the lens is wide open until you fire. As a "professional" I can't tell my client that I missed the shot because I didn't have the proper equipment
3) Occasionally a customer will want a 24 x 36 wall print from a cropped image. Only the best glass, along with correct exposure and little or no post processing (in other words correct straight out of the camera), will deliver "professional" results.

Professionals don't HAVE to have great glass . . . we want great glass to deliver the best that we can for our client.

That's my 2 cents worth anyway.

I think the best way to shoot a group is as varied as there are members on the forum. Here are few things to watch out for . . .

If you are too close to the subjects, bounce flash can cause dark eye sockets from the light coming down too straight on the subjects. The suggested bounce card is a good idea, but not really effective over 8-10 feet from the subject.

I shoot thousands of group shots every year and my preference is to get them outside in the shade of a big tree or building and use off camera flash for fill. If I must be inside I would always use off-camera flash slightly higher than the tallest person in the group and off to one side at an angle less than 45 degrees from the camera.

Any automatic setting ( including "P" ) on the camera confuses the automatic TTL setting on the flash. Keep in mind that the auto setting does not read the flash but the ambient light only, before the flash fires. This means that the lens will probably be wide open, and that is bad for groups as you need more D.O.F. Here are the settings I use for all inside group photos: 400 ISO, camera on manual 1/200th second @ F/5.6 or F/6.3 then use flash compensation for adjusting exposure if needed . . . and for heaven's sake . . . use a tripod. Your flash has lots of power, so to improve the lighting from there you could shoot through a scrim if you have one/ or can borrow one. I use a 36" scrim about 4 feet in front of the flash . . . results are outstanding.

Just another opinion :-)

I would suggest that upgrading your camera should only be considered if you already have Canon's "L" series lenses. Lower end lenses are the weak link in most camera/lens combinations. The XT has far more capabilities to produce quality results than most non "L" series lenses allow.

For light use (non commercial) Sigma make some excellent flashes that ARE fully compatible for at least Canon and Nikon. Check them out to see if there is one offered for your camera.

I always do all my adjustments/tweeking/etc. then save the file before cropping. Then I crop and save a second file of the cropped image. That way I can always go back to the original if I decide I need a different crop at a later date. All I do is add an "a", "b", "c" or whatever to the original file name. Easy to find later and all varieties of that image are stored consecutively.

The best and safest policy is to always format the cards in the camera in which they will be used. Corruption of the images can also happen on occasion if images are deleted in the camera. Don't know why manufacturers put that feature in cameras when the experts warn us against deleting in camera.

Yes . . I read the whole thread. His first question was to why the nearest subject is always in focus and behind it everything out of focus. DOF could be a solution, but not if he is trying to focus on a subject that is not closest to him. The goal is not always to have everything in focus, as a matter of fact that is not ideal with pictures of people. Anyway that's the way I read it, and my suggestion was to eliminate that particular problem. Just my humble opinion.

Well . . . at least one of you came close to the real problem. It is NOT a DOF problem, nor a lens problem. Canon DSLR's have three choices for choosing the focal point. Auto array - all points of focus turned on, letting the camera decide which to use. Center point focus which uses only the center spot, and thirdly your choice of any of the focal spots one at a time. You said that you are using the auto array which automatically focuses on the closest subject. To solve your problem simply turn that off and go to the center spot focusing, or the pick any spot you wish . . . but only one. Center spot focusing is the most effective as all the focal spots other than center favors lines of detail that are perpendicular to the camera in landscape mode..
To use center spot focusing effectively you should use a three step process. 1) Focus by pushing the shutter release button half way . . . 2) While continuing to hold the button half way down, recompose your image as you like . . . 3) Then push the shutter all the way down to capture. You must be sure to not let up on the shutter release button while you recompose or it will refocus elsewhere.

Hope that helps.

Thanks all . . nice welcoming committee. I'll do my best to contribute what I can. At present I do 2 or 3 workshops a month for the local camera clubs and community center. Nice to have something to "give back". Where I run into problems is with the "point and shoots" . . . damned if I can learn to operate those things efficiently :-)

Thanks . . . have to remember that photography is an art form . . . and appreciation of art is really a matter of opinion. Be happy to give my "professional" opinion when and if it is a subject at which I am proficient. As for some images, I'll have to work on that, but some can be seen on my site at www.weddingguy.ca

After reading this . . . you'll know me better than I do!

Started with a "Donald Duck" camera at the age of 11 (that must have been about 120 years ago) Started taking pictures for money at age 17, then officially became a "professional" at age 20 with a "kidnapping" job photographing children and families in peoples' homes. In those days we carried 4x5 view cameras and three hotlights.
Did a couple of years as a Photographic journalist for a major newspaper in Nova Scotia, then moved west.
My endeavors spread into weddings, commercial photography and I spent one year as the public relations photographer for the Chateau Lake Louise in Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada.

After about another 17 years in the business I went back to school and became an accountant so that I could make some real money . . . but never gave up the passion for photography.

I got my first computer back in 1984 for my accounting practice, and with the coming of digital cameras I got excited about photography all over again. Remembering the days of constant brown fingers from working half the night, every night, in the darkroom, the thought of my new darkroom being at my desk was revolutionary. Back in the "old" days I averaged about 4-5 hours a day standing in the darkroom on a cement floor!
I decided that I would specialize in weddings and went back into the business in 2000. I don't own a studio any longer, but use "studio" lighting for all my formal pictures on location.

I have been taking photographs for $$$ now for a total of over 30 years and it seems that almost every week I learn something new and exciting.

I am married to a great lady that joins me on all my weddings as an assistant and second shooter. Between us we have 7 children and 11 1/2 grandchildren. One of my grand daughters is now in the photography business in Alberta.

There . . . you know more about me than I know. Looking forward to sharing ideas on this most facinating of hobbies. Enjoy!!!