amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

The location... especially how much working distance and how much of the background you are trying to include in the image... will dictate what lens you can use. 50mm or the 80-200mm close to the 80mm end will give the most natural perspective for portraiture. But both require a bit of working room, especially for full length, group shots.

I agree about light being the single most important factor. I'd look for a shaded location that can be used at other times of day, rather than trying to shoot only during the "golden hour" and not out in broad daylight... it usually doesn't work except from just the right angle. Dusk and dawn are ideal times for scenic shots... but not necessarily for portraits.

Yes, a fill flash might help. But often an assistant or stand with a large bounce reflector is a better choice for portraiture. Direct flash, even fill, can be too harsh. Other possibilities are using a diffuser on the flash or bouncing it out of an umbrella. With a group shot you need a pretty large light source though... either a big reflector panel, a large diffusion panel or a large umbrella.

Possibly the best available light portrait photographer ever was Monte Zucker. He passed away a few years ago after a long career, but was one of the true masters and authored a number of "how to" books that are real gems. He also invented some of the tools of the trade and a few specialty items were (are?) named after him. Highly recommend you look for some of his books.

Like others, I can see a number of possible improvements to your sample images. Those other response go into specifics... I'd just add that there are a ton of details in setting up portrait shots, starting with lighting and then a lot of little things to check and watch out for, all of which needs to be done very quickly and efficiently. Done right, a good portrait looks natural and simple. But a lot of work and skill go into making it look that way! Some things can be "fixed" on post-processing... Others can't. It's nearly always best to get it "as right as possible" in camera, instead of fixing things later.

devolution Loc: Dubuque. IA

Thanks you everyone.

garceh Loc: florida

:thumbup: :thumbup:

juicesqueezer Loc: Okeechobee, Florida

First off, I'm not a pro, but have shot many photos within the size of your group. Even though I have a 28-70 f2.8, I use my 70-200 f2.8 and find that most all shots were in the 105 to 150 range. This will also depend on what you want in the photo. f8 to f11 should keep all the faces in focus.
Our daughter is getting married the first week of October, on the beach at sunset. Believe me, I will be doing some test shots the evening before and scouting for the view I would like behind the shot. Like others have said, lighting and background are most important.
Good luck and please share photos when done. You camera will make little difference as it's all about the lens and adjustments. Oh, I shoot in manual and RAW as I would not let the camera chose for me. Just my humble opinion.