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The best advice I've read here so far is
these two things:

1. Curving the line for equal distances

2. Using a Distagon type lens

However there're many good lenses of
the Distagon design, you do NOT hafta
insist on Zeiss. But obviously you want
a first class lens cuz the details will be
rendered quite small in the image that
you've described.

-----------------------------------

FWIW and TWIMC, the next time that
I face a similar task, my first choice is
my Tamron 45SP. It's a Distagon type,
has no visible distortion, no center hot
spotting, very sharp, no flare, etc, etc.
But this is not amazing since it's not a
wide angle FL but it's built from a wide
angle design [which results in a rather
huge lens for just a 45/1.8].

.

catchlight.. Loc: Wisconsin USA- Halden Norway

Thanks E L Shapiro and Gene... Great advise. I haven't done large groups for some time and recently was asked to do so. I appreciate the wisdom...

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

I would get a ladder, I would also not use two deep, I would use at least three to four deep. My opinion.

capmike Loc: New Bern, NC

Not mentioned is shooting 2 photos and merging them. Folks faces are larger and more identifiable.

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

I had to do a group wider than my lens could cover once, took two shots, actually took more than two, and merged like a pano the two best, one of the left side and one of the right side, they loved it, Bob.

grichie5

Recently I was asked to take casual photos at a house party. I decided to try to get a group shot of the many guests. Not much distance between the two opposite walls. Put a 9-18 lens on my Olympus OM-D EM 1 camera, had two volunteers stand at the outside edges of my field of view and gathered the guests. There was some distortion which was partially corrected in PS. The results were pleasing.

BebuLamar

I want to do panorama by stitching several shots but don't the people move a bit between shots and cause problem with stitching?

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

Depending on your software you can do some straitening in post if needed.

cfhelz45 Loc: The Villages, Florida

This is a photo of a party with about 120 people.

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

All suggestions here are worthy and should be noted.
My biggest problem is the "winkies, blinked and nods." Don't forget to have people smile naturally. That is why you shoot several deliberately posed photographs for the best effect.

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

Yes and no, I suggest you shoot several sets on burst setting get it fast before they can move much.

capmike Loc: New Bern, NC

Not if you tell them up front to freeze for 10 seconds. Focus for both shots, from the same camera position should be identical. Stitching works great.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Generally not a problem if they just move a tiny bit. Use a program like PT/GUI that allows you to define the stitchpoints if you have a problem image. Otherwise you can adjust the masks if you are using Photoshop.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Your welcome!

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

Good advice above.

I just did a quick group this past weekend for a bunch of runners. I am still working on the final version (this one is a quick Facebook post I did that morning one of the reasons it does not look as sharp as I would like and I want to remove the light pole on the right) , but I used a 70-200 at 70mm and f/2.8 from a good distance back (around 45") and elevated.

If it had not been raining, I would have used a nearby area with a slight up-slope and a little more distance. Not really happy with this one. Due to the rain the members were less than cooperative, I could not get the blond woman third from the left to settle while the gentleman on the far right kept leaning out of frame. Four times I asked him to move in tighter. He did, I would check the others and notice he had moved out again. There is always at least one of these in every group.

So while I am not totally happy, for the OP's purpose it illustrates that the combination of distance and a long lens even at a fast aperture can provide plenty of DOF (around 14' here) while working with available light. So, yeah get as much distance as you can with the longest lens you can to fill the frame. I have around 60 people here.

Also since I am elevated, I can see everyone's face. Before group shot, I always tell them "If you cannot see the camera lens, the camera lens cannot see you."

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