It doesn't matter what the context is, I dislike doing group shots most of the time. At weddings, it's a nightmare if the groups are enormous — I'll spend a lot of time in post taking open eyes from one photo and transplanting them into another. Plus, when it's group shot time at weddings, the guests have often seen off a few of their first drinks and it's like herding cats, but I digress. I also avoid dislike photographing large bands and corporate group shots because you lose a lot of the artistic control with the camera, which is my favorite part.
However, when I do group shots and I've liked the outcome, it's inevitably down to how I have organized the group and, moreover, the lighting. If you are outdoors, this can be tricky for beginners. Not only do you have to light the whole group evenly, but you have to fight with natural light too. This video does a great job of showing you how to get the most from outdoor group shots, but one tip I will leave you with is this: lighting symmetry is your friend!
Do you often take group shots? How do you feel about them?
