Large Group Family Portraits / How to Create and Manage for Great Results and Maximized Sales.

Master Portrait Artist, Tim Kelly, shares one of the ways you can produce the highest quality large group portraits with great efficiency. Many photographers are overwhelmed by these assignments, but even if you're on location, you can still employ these techniques and your groups will be more thoughtfully posed than ever before.
Don't be afraid when these opportunities come up. Break the assignment down into a workable plan that can be executed in SMALLER steps. You'll build a wonderful big group if you think of it as multiple small groups! Good luck.
www.timkellyportraits.com
www.backgroundsbymaheu.com
This episode was produced largely while we were in isolation (mandatory stay home order) in March/April 2020. We greatly look forward to producing new episodes just as soon as we have our crew back in the studio.
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[@chipcurry]

I think it's great that you accomplished, these photographs, but even greater than your first response was to share it with all of us. Thank you.

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

I appreciate that! Thanks for watching!

[@jakewarrington7344]

Wonderful video, Tim! I did this technique for a large company photo that I had to shoot over four days. Ive been asked to do a large family of 40 in November and i was going to use the same technique. Well done! I just subbed to your channel.

[@capturemeinpictures]

Thank you for sharing your amazing work! The final composite is stunning and will be a family treasure for decades to come.

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Thank you! And thanks for watching.

[@LetsBHonest]

wish you spoke about your lighting setup

[@nambuck5583]

First, i thought how could he done it, crisps sharp end to end. Mind boggling 🤯, Awesome.

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Glad you enjoy it! It does take a lot of work, but also a lot of "planning vision".

[@mattlocdproductions]

Between your knowledge and your voice, your channel just got added to my new posing video slot. Subbed! Thank you Tim 💪🏿

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Thank you for watching!

[@weddingbells100]

Thank you, Tim, for a very informative and interesting video, I watch all of your videos I find them very inspiring, many thanks again.

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Thank you!

[@orlandolopezrodriguez5425]

Thank you very much for this video. You are a great person for showing your technique and your secrets in such a humble and simple way. You are admirable.

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

So nice of you! Thanks for watching! Love what I get to do every day.

[@memathews]

This is masterful! The posing and all other techniques are stunning, especially in a 90-minute shoot.👍

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Thank you and thanks for watching.

[@TrevorMcGrathPhotography]

That's simply deadly. No more words required

[@garynewvine2947]

That is an AWESOME video!! Im getting ready to shoot my family portrait of 15. I didnt know how I was gong to do it, but this has given me some greaet ideas that I will use!! Thank you for sharing!

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Glad it's been helpful!

[@DaveSincere]

@Gary Newvine - How did it turn out? I'm shooting a family of 25 this weekend and I'm thinking "What did I commit to?"

[@clairearcher2549]

@@DaveSincere SAME! LOL!

[@montyutube]

Thank you for sharing the possibilities and techniques available in portrait photography.

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

My pleasure, John.

[@mh23h]

What a great idea!

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Thank you!

[@threecubedpodcast]

This is fantastic, thank you for sharing!

[@drewonaiyekan]

Excellent work and technique

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Thanks, Drew!

[@kaseelee4028]

This is amazing! I never thought about this

[@dbackx]

What can I say, brilliant image in every aspect Tim !

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Thanks for watching! I appreciate it.

[@olumideakingbade982]

Thanks for this !

[@sfiron]

Outstanding video

[@MohamedSherif-id9br]

Great job, professional pre-plan, professional shooter and off course phenomenal editing, thank u for your creativity...

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Thank you.

[@yesviraltrend5368]

kzbin.info/door/yFFlVSgoPxRCcdo4NqsteQ

[@toddhildebrand]

You are the man! As an amateur/semi professional portrait photographer my hat is off to you! Wonderful work :)

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Thank you so much 😀

[@joseph-the-seventh]

Great image! How many lights and what modifiers did you use?

[@wa7sca]

A beautiful end product!

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Thanks again!

[@hmoobs1]

wow. thank you for explaining the process

[@marcusgarrison288]

Thank you TIM!

[@mcjiehembile3992]

Thank you, I will try this to my family portrait.

[@siyuq5620]

This is beautifully done! I hope one day I can take an assignment like this without worrying about not being prepared enough.

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Practice does it. I don't know who will be where until I start looking and moving them around. Just do it with confidence.

[@Mb-vs3lw]

This is amazing !

[@maryjukie2888]

Excellent video!!

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Thank you very much!

[@b3ckalaw]

wow! this is awesome. I'm going to take a family photoshoot today outside of 40 people. I'm definitely a bit worried. I'm pretty savvy at photoshop. So I'm going to try both methods of having everyone pose at once, then take pictures of smaller families and also try compositing that at the end as well.

[@BusBunny81]

That's a great idea , I have a large shoot today and will also be trying this

[@b3ckalaw]

@@BusBunny81 Christina, I learned A LOT from my large group photoshoot. If you are going to try to the smaller families then compositing, don't forget to use your tripod and ensuring the angle is exactly the same. I messed up a few of the pictures by moving around a bit, and changing my angle. Also - do your best to have a clean simple background!! That makes compositing a lot easier. I definitely could not composite the way Tim Kelly does in this video but by having a bg that seams together due to its simplicity, I made it work. Good luck!!!

[@mandography]

Wow!! You are a true master photographer!

[@marissadawnx]

Thank you for this video! This was so helpful

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching.

[@dwtsn]

Excellent - just what I was looking for. I have a group of 20 that want a family portrait like this.

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Glad it was helpful!

[@dwtsn]

@@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques ah... it didn't happen. Too bad. I would have given them awesome results. They found an amateur photographer to do it for like $150. lol.

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

@@dwtsn That's sad. I'll bet you'd like to see what they ended up with.

[@dwtsn]

@@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques Not really - I can imagine what they got. Well, I hope they got some nice photos regardless.

[@WayneMorrison1069]

Thank you so much for this peek into your creativity. Succeed or not, I am so inspired to try. Thanks again. :)

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Thanks for watching!

[@kooroshhaziny8992]

Thank you for the video, I appreciate that.

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

My pleasure!

[@trevhillphotography7852]

Fantastic work Tim. Love your channel.

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@lukasbeacon372]

Very interesting and thankful. I subscribed to your channel

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Thanks for the sub!

[@kraftedbykat]

Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing with us!

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

My Pleasure! Thanks for watching.

[@claudio_sergiacomo]

AMAZING work and thanks for sharing this technique which I have used for corporate photography and I would like to try this on family portraits like the ones you do. I suggest every photographer to get good at Photoshop... it is not your enemy, it is a tool that will allow you to make more money for your work.

[@kostaskonstantinidis7318]

Amazing!!!!

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Thank you! And thanks for watching!

[@LeslieArnelleTV]

excellent tips . thanks for sharing :)

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

My pleasure!

[@rj28photos]

That was great!! the Images are mind blowing!

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@southbridgeforestHOA]

very impressive. I have done big groups like this taking several shots on location and stacking them together can be challenging if you use a wide angle lens. My suggestion is to use the most telephoto lens you can.

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Exactly right.

[@iphmemories6536]

Wow! Amazing!

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Thank you!

[@iphmemories6536]

@@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques What size was this large image of the family? (BTW I'm not a prof photographer, but a family hobbyist.) Thank you! I would assume it would be at least 36" long.

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

@@iphmemories6536 It was 44" plus frame.

[@peteristvanphotography]

Thanks for sharing,

[@lile888]

谢谢您的讲解，获益匪浅。

[@davidholyoake5256]

Awesome work.

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Thank you so much, David!

[@rogergroover4971]

Great pic!

[@puck528co]

Incredible!

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Thank you!

[@nataliecd8966]

Thank you so much for the tips.

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Your welcome and thanks for watching.

[@sunilkotyan4443]

Great technic

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Thank you!

[@shyamlohar1335]

Thank you sir

[@MiaogisTeas]

Great business tip too

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Glad it was helpful!

[@TheChoofamily]

Thank you for sharing your work and techniques with us! Question: you mentioned that every pose, hand position, etc... is planned. So, when you are shooting each family separately, do you already have in mind the next family group and how they fit with the other families so that you have people on different levels?

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Each group is individually optimized, but I do "pre-think" the connecting persons and how they will overlap. Each group must be good standing alone, but who's sitting and who's standing is all related to height, size etc.

[@TheChoofamily]

@@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques Thank you for your reply. I know it's not impossible to get this right, but I can imagine it could be easy to mismatch family positions in this type of scenario, especially when there is so much going on.

[@opeyemiomilegan9003]

@@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques 6

[@prasanthb7521]

greak work sir

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Thanks for watching!

[@agatalampart2388]

Great idea;)

[@EdLeatemia]

Awesome!

[@therookiefisherman5234]

Wow, Wow, that is great to work I would love to learn how to do that, those other guys have nothing on you, sir, by the way, this was not entertaining this was a masterful class far beyond entertainment its knowledge. Thank you for sharing.

[@Dewabarasunderan]

What I learned from this is, that Tim Kelly is an awesome photographer. Would have liked to get more info on the actual techniques though… This was more of an advertisement for his skills than anything else…

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

This is all the info I could sqeeze in to the video. The purpose and goal of the video is to show how to handle a big group while still making portrait art, not a group "photo", and how to plan YOUR shoot so YOU can sell more. Just who would I advertise skills too?

[@Dewabarasunderan]

@@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques I'm not sure, why you feel the need to put the word “photo” in quotation marks, since I didn't even mention it. If your actual goal was to show people how to handle a big group, maybe you should have shown any actual interaction with that group.

[@imagemaker5150]

Great job !!

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Thank you!

[@hurleygreen927]

GREAT TUTORIAL for studio group photography! You did a fantastic job of posing the family? NO SHOES? HAHAHA;

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

They like that here in Florida ... and I've done many - but not with grandparents!

[@hurleygreen927]

@@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques No worries with that up here in Chicago,,, ,Question: do you you shoot strictly in Manual or do you also shoot in Aperture Priority mode for the group shots? Inquiring minds want to know! :)

[@sexysilversurfer]

All I can say is wow.

[@kimelizabeth2823]

Fantastic.....

[@I-LightMedia]

Great work on that image.

[@RobJamiesonPhotography]

Fantastic

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Thank you so much 😀

[@josephw9690]

Awesome! How do you manage even in a group of 5 that everyone's eyes is in focus? Was it done in a real high aperture?

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

With full length and an aperture of f11, you'll get it all. Thanks for watching!

[@jaycamus]

Truly brilliant! Can we see how the small groups were lit please?

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Jay, check out my classic DVD training collection. All available for free on my channel. Families LIVE has an extensive family shoot.

[@Grom59]

Splendide. Comment assembler cela sur photoshop? Détourage précis? Autres ?

[@delilahpugsley9561]

That would be so hard outside when the sun goes in and out of the clouds and constant light changes 😅! Just wow!

[@robertokeefe25]

Great video, very informative, much more advanced than I can shot, but thoroughly enjoyed and learned from it. Thank you.

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Thanks for watching!

[@triciahagerty8410]

Would love to see the photoshop session or at least a portion of it!

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Ha! That would have been a gigantic undertaking! (but awsome!)

[@pcrate20]

hi, Tim: amazing videos, can you provide some setting for family portrait 3 people I like the one that's you posted in your video

[@chazztesa]

I was thinking of this method but never tried it,

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Takes some creative forethought, though I didn't meet the people until that day.

[@frankzayas3103]

Great video. I've done the composites in the studio and have enjoyed the process, but doing the same thing outdoors kind of scares me. How do you shoot it to avoid the background repeating? Does that just become a major photoshop project?

[@kidmd64]

Very inspiring. Did you have to spend a lot of time retouching the studio background to keep it from looking repetitive? And was the forest background all one contiguous location?

[@garryhughes3747]

Wow!!

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Thanks for giving it a look-see, Gary.

[@madergooseboserovlog9620]

sir can you make a video how you combine all those photos?

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Considering that for a new how to video. I have another one in the works now. Thanks!

[@artvisualphotography]

Wow

[@DanielTuriman]

Thanks

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Welcome. I appreciate your viewing!

[@jbello9398]

so you did this in photoshop then? ... i'm a photoshoper too... but never thought that putting a large family together would work... thanks for this wonderful idea as to how

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

I always do my retouching in PS, and on these large groups, PS is used to merge the multiple groups together. It's not the only way - but it is unique and works quite invisibly. Thanks for watching!

[@jerome5048]

Superbe. Comment assembler les differents groupes sur photoshop pour avoir le résultat final de ce groupe familial ?

[@jorgea8830]

from left to right person #9 her legs look off to the side !🤣

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Illusion I'd say. Everything is carefully measured and confirmed. Thanks for watching.

[@chazztesa]

How about a portrait of a class picture

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

If you're trying to multiply your fidelity but spliting into two or three sections, that you could manage. More than that is not worth the work.

[@TheUrbanOrganic]

So yoy're saying it was stitched together in Photoshop?

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Yes. I did each family section then put them together. That way I can sell them individually or as the super group.

[@Alicia-bt6kc]

👍👍

[@bhalchandrakapatkar1710]

🙏👍👍👌👌🙏

[@swashyhimself]

show us the compositing

[@mmmcewen1]

30 years? Hmmm, that means I’ll be 89 before I can produce work at this quality.

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Ha! Just apply yourself .. I started with PS vers1 ... that's why it took so long.

[@pagpapaitim]

adoption is cool

[@GrahamSEdwards]

How can I master great portrait techniques? Do you have some good books, training, videos that you'd share?

[@Ericbjohnston5150]

Profit took photographer and family to Paris for a week.

[@annajaeger9243]

Fantastic portrait. I do have to ask, why did you feel you had to point out that the one daughter was adopted? Twice! I’m also adopted and a different ethnicity than my parents. But I’m simply their daughter, not their adopted daughter, though that’s fairly obvious. If this daughter had looked the same, I doubt “adopted” would have been mentioned.

[@TimKellysMasterPhotoTechniques]

Thanks for the comment. I'm an adoption supporter. We have many instances in my family, and I guess I'm proud of it. Obviously, in this case, it didn't need mentioning. Appreciate your watching!

[@ba553y]

More like a documentary not I tutorial as I thought. Nice though

[@piksnapper]

The little girl in the middle is a mystery to me, it looks like a bit of luck having her hand in just the right position to have it tuck under grandpa's hand.

[@AditiSahu2]

Wow