Group Shoot, I love them it was the birth of

Benny MM# 6741,
Crazy Benny MM#10303 and
Crazier Benny MM# 35107

Group shoots are what they are and the important thing is not to make them what they are not (how confusing is that).

Group shoots come in two flavors, instructional (workshops) and non-instructional.  Instructional workshops are for those that are trying to improve a particular skill and the workshop offers what they need.

Whether they are beneficial depends on whether the topic and the instructor appeal to you.  There are good workshops and there are bad workshops.

For the overall group shoot, there are good ones and bad ones as well, but it really comes down to a simple issue, "What do you want to shoot?"

Group shoots are nothing more than a cost sharing arrangement where a group of guys are effectively sharing the cost of the models and the locations.   It also means they are sharing the shooting experience as well, so you will, to a large degree, get what the next guy does.

In a nutshell though, for $30-$150 you will get to shoot with a number of models, in a particular location for far less than if you hired the models yourself.

Advantages of group shoots are that you get to learn from others (see their equipment, posing technique and lighting ideas), you get to work with a variety of models, there are often good locations and it is low cost.

The disadvantages are that you are sharing the models and locations and have less creative control over what you are shooting.

The trick is not to expect more from a group shoot than what it is, then decide if it is what you want.  They are not for everyone, but others will enjoy them a lot!

Good shooting.

The first group shoot I was at, there was lots of flash equipment (mine never came out of the car) and I got to try a few of other people's items.

The second group shoot I went to (a different group) with about 8 other photographers (and 4 models), it turned out that I was the only one with a studio flash unit. I was emensly popular that day and being ask questions like I was some kind of expert.  Both shoots were good for different reasons. In the first I got to try out other people's equipment, in the second other people got to try out mine.

Henry

Group shoot can be beneficial or a waste of time depending on your expectations for what you want to walk away from.

Here are my thoughts on this.

Will you likely come away with portfolio material? Likely yes if you are a beginner model or photographer with little portfolio material to start with.  This is an excellent way to get to work with a number of models in a cost and time effective manner. For an intermediate or experience photographer there could be a chance to get good images but the odds are against you as you have limited time with the model and locations for shooting are dictated by what’s available at the time you can shoot with a model.

Group shoot for me are more about networking with other models and photographer and for testing models that you may want to work with in the future.  You get to get a sense of the skill set of the model and decide if working with them in the future is worth the bother.

What I don’t like about the group shoots are that they are a lot of work in terms of shooting and in terms of getting images back to models.  I’ve got images from a group shoot from late October that I’m still editing because of the sheer volume of images (almost 2000 with 8 models) along with images from scheduled shoots that I had committed to before in November and this month.

Another aspect that I don’t like is the flake factor with these shoots.  With some group shoots you really are not sure who will be there until the shoot day.  Things come up models and photographers change their minds or can’t come due to emergency.  It’s hard to commit to a group shoot knowing that who you were expecting to show up does not.

The key to a successful group shoot is organization and keeping things simple.  Portable light setups (flash gun on a stand or one strobe) and ways to dump cards to a hard drive as they fill up help.

I support the concept of the group shoot and I think that they are valuable.  However, you have to adjust your expectations for the event to take into account that this will be different from a solo shoot and that it’s primarily a networking opportunity and secondarily a portfolio development opportunity.