How to nail group photos with a 50mm lens (2024)

FAQs

How to nail group photos with a 50mm lens? ›

For indoor shoots, you'll need a lens with a short focal length for the tight spaces. Lenses with focal lengths around 35 or 50mm will give you a wide enough shot to get everyone in without putting your back up against the wall.

For indoor shoots, you'll need a lens with a short focal length for the tight spaces. Lenses with focal lengths around 35 or 50mm will give you a wide enough shot to get everyone in without putting your back up against the wall.

You can step back for a wide view but also come in closer and shoot a portrait without noticeable distortion. I can easily, and often do, shoot an entire family session on a 50mm lens and it would certainly be my desert island focal length.

Choose the best camera settings for family portraits.

Use the single point autofocus with back button focus. Set the aperture to between f/2 and f/4 for single subjects and f/5.6 to f/8 for group shots. Use a shutter speed of at least 1/200th if handheld and 1/15th on a tripod.

It's one of the most popular lenses on the market, and it can be used for anything from portraits and car photography to landscapes and nighttime shots. The only time you can't use a 50mm lens is when you're so far away from your subject that capturing it requires a telephoto lens.

The 500 Rule in Star Photography

The equation divides 500 by the focal length of your lens. For example, with a 50mm focal length, you'll have 10 seconds before the stars move (500 divided by 50 equals 10). With a 24mm focal length, you'll have 40 seconds before the stars move.

Use a lens with a focal length between 35mm and 50mm for smaller groups. For larger groups, consider using a wide-angle lens (24mm-35mm). Avoid ultra-wide lenses to prevent distortion at the edges.

Pick the Right Aperture

If we're shooting a larger bridal party grouping (of about 8-10 people), and they're all on the same focal plane, then we'll bump our aperture up a full stop to f/4.0.

If it's just one child indoors, an 85mm lens would be a great starting point. If you generally have the whole family in a shot, you'll want a 50mm lens for indoors or you'll be permanently backed against the wall trying to fit everyone in with an 85mm lens!

How do you get a 50mm picture sharp? ›

Shutter Speed

If I am shooting at 50mm, I'll keep it at 1/50 second or faster. If I am shooting at 200mm, I'll keep it to 1/200 or faster. If I am shooting at 400mm, I'll keep it at 1/400 or faster. This is known as the focal length shutter speed rule.

So on a Canon or Nikon 50mm f1. 8 lens, shooting at around f 2.8 or F3. 5 will be enough to give you a really excellent level of sharpness, but still let you get enough light into your camera via the aperture for low light scenes, AND give you that blurry background.

The 50mm lens is a fantastic versatile lens and has a good focus area. A 50mm lens at f/1.8 and at a distance of 4 feet from your subject has a depth of field Of around 1.5 inches deep. Photographing that same subject from 10 feet, will have a depth of field of just under 10 inches deep.

Use a Narrow (Small) Aperture

Photographing a group requires a wide enough depth of field. This means a narrow enough aperture to keep every individual in the image within that in-focus range.

So, whenever I photograph a group of people that are not on the same focal plane, or are standing on two different rows (family formals or bridal party photos), I always set the focus point on the person closest to the camera because the people in the back will still be in focus due to the depth of field extending 2/3 ...

If it comes for a small group shots like 4–5 people in a group picture here you can use 50mm with good magnification of the image as well as proper depth effect. But if it is a large group of 10–15 people 50mm won't give best results.

While 50mm lenses are great for general photography, 85mm lenses are preferable for portraiture for a number of reasons.