"Perfecting Group Shots In The Studio"

While photographing individual dancers is essential, there’s always a fantastic opportunity to capture group shots during costume or studio sessions. Group photos of classes or routines make wonderful keepsakes for students and parents, and they also serve as eye-catching content for your show programs, social media, and online marketing materials.

Group shots can be a bit trickier to organise and execute, but with some planning, you can get beautiful, polished photos efficiently. Here are my top tips to help you nail those group photos every time:

1. Practice Makes Perfect

Before stepping in front of the backdrop, take advantage of downtime to try out different group arrangements off-camera. While dancers wait for their turn, experiment with poses and formations to see what flows best and looks balanced. This prep work will save valuable shooting time and help you avoid awkward poses or overcrowded compositions once you’re ready to shoot.

2. Use Levels to Add Dimension

Incorporating varying heights - whether dancers are sitting, crouching, or standing - adds depth and visual interest to your group photos. Levels help ensure everyone is visible and the group doesn’t look flat or cluttered. Decide if you want to keep a consistent composition across different groups; sometimes a signature style or pose works perfectly as a cohesive visual theme for your marketing materials.

3. Remember to Squeeze In!

Leaving too much space between dancers often results in a scattered and less polished look. Encourage your students to stand close together - minimising gaps between bodies, shoulders, and heads creates a tight, unified group appearance. A well-composed, compact group photo conveys energy, connection, and professionalism.

4. Keep It Simple and Symmetrical

While it’s tempting to replicate dynamic poses from routines or performances, not everything translates well from stage to camera. Simplify arm placements and encourage symmetry to create clean, visually pleasing images. Bringing dancers closer together and minimising complex gestures helps focus attention on the group as a whole and prevents distractions.

5. If in Doubt, Split Up

Sometimes, trying to fit a large group (like 40+ dancers) into one frame can be overwhelming or impractical. When this happens, we can break the class into smaller groups for multiple shots. You can either keep these shots separate or we can use clever positioning and post-production techniques to digitally combine them into one seamless group image later on. This approach keeps things manageable and ensures every dancer shines.

To find out more about our dance studio shoots, get in touch via laura@laurawoodrow.co.uk