Group Shots

When you step back and take in the sight of a bridal party, it’s not just a collection of people standing around in matching dresses and sharp suits. No, it’s something deeper. It’s a circle of lives intertwined, friends and family who’ve walked through the fires and danced in the rain with you. And now, they’re here on this wild day of love, standing beside you, caught in the same moment of time.

But how do you capture that energy, that bond, in a single photograph? That’s the challenge of the group shot—the heartbeat of the wedding album, the snapshot of a tribe that says, “We were here, together.” Getting it right takes more than just lining people up and pointing a camera. It’s an act of orchestration, a dance, a bit of controlled chaos. So here’s how you do it—how you get that perfect shot of the people who make your heart beat a little faster.

Feel the Rhythm Before You Start

Before you even pick up the camera, listen. There’s a rhythm to every group, every gathering of people. You’ve got to tune into it, like a musician finding the pulse of a song. Are they a wild, laughing bunch, or more serious, more composed? Take a minute to vibe with the group—watch them interact, see how they stand together naturally.

You can’t force a moment into existence. You’ve got to let it breathe. When you feel the energy shift, that’s when you start shaping it into the shot you want. Don’t rush. Let the rhythm find you.

Choose Your Stage

Location is key. You’re not just shooting people, you’re capturing a scene. Think about where this group belongs. Maybe it’s under the old oak tree where stories have been told for generations. Maybe it’s in front of the cathedral doors, that symbolic threshold between one life and another. Maybe it’s standing pool side whilst riding a plaster zebra… The backdrop should echo the people and emotion you want to bring out.

If the bridal party is big, go wide—let the landscape unfold around them. If it’s intimate, find a corner, a staircase, a little patch of sunlight. Whatever you choose, make it feel like a stage that was made for this moment. The world is full of empty places waiting for people to bring them to life.

Keep It Real, Keep It Moving

People aren’t statues, and thank the heavens for that. When you’re working with a large group, keeping it too stiff can kill the vibe. The trick is to give direction, but don’t lock them into position. Let them laugh, talk, shift their weight. Keep things flowing. It’s in those small movements, the way someone leans into a friend, the glance between siblings, that the real magic happens.

Encourage them to interact, to be with each other. Sometimes the best group shots come from those unplanned moments—the way the bridesmaids giggle, the groomsmen mess with their ties, that offbeat second when everyone lets go of the “perfect” pose.

The Power of Asymmetry

Forget about lining everyone up in a row like soldiers. Real life doesn’t look like that. Play with the balance, the highs and lows, the asymmetry that makes a photo feel alive. Stagger heights, let some sit while others stand. Frame the bride and groom in the middle, sure, but don’t make it feel too neat. Life is messy, love is wild—let your composition reflect that.

Sometimes the most interesting photos come from breaking the rules, so don’t be afraid to shift people around, angle bodies in unexpected ways. Tilt the camera if you need to. Embrace the imperfections, and you’ll capture something more authentic, more electric.

Give Space for Personality

Each person in that bridal party carries a piece of the story. They’ve got their quirks, their personalities. Maybe one of the groomsmen always strikes a ridiculous pose, or a bridesmaid pulls faces when she thinks no one’s looking. Let them shine.

Celebrate the individuality within the group shot. If you want to get creative, play with different clusters within the larger group. Maybe all the childhood friends in one corner, the family in another. You’re capturing more than a moment—you’re capturing the layers of relationships that have brought everyone to this point.

Let the Moment Be Loud

There are those classic group shots that have a quiet elegance, but there are also times when you need to crank up the volume. You want to capture celebration, that wild rush of joy, of being alive together. When it’s time for that shot, don’t hold back. Get them to jump, to shout, to lift the bride into the air, to wave flowers and jackets and anything else they can find. It’s the photo that will make them laugh years from now, when life has settled back down into routine, and they remember how free they felt in that moment.

Group shots are about more than just capturing people—they’re about capturing the bonds between people. It’s a dance between chaos and control, between form and freedom. You’ve got to let it live, let it breathe. Because when you do, you end up with something more than a picture. You end up with a testament to the love that connects us, the ties that hold us together, even when the music fades.

So, when you stand behind that lens, don’t just think of it as a photograph. Think of it as a song, a poem, a moment you’re about to capture and hold forever. Because that’s what it is—an unrepeatable moment, a snapshot of a tribe that was here, on this day, together.

With love,
x Love-Love