I'm as guilty as most people when it comes to shooting large group family pictures. I don't like to do it. The more people you've got in a photo the harder it is to make a nice photo. This year, though, I decided to fight my natural tendencies and try to make a nice group shot at Thanksgiving.

There are always two challenges to large groups shots. First, you need to find a way to be able to see everyone, and if possible, have them in a comfortable pose. If you have to shoot from eye level, then it's best if you can pose them at different levels. Try with some standing, some sitting on chairs and put the kids on the floor (or willing adults). The second problem is having enough good light. Indoors, working with only available light, you'll be fighting the low amount and probably some bad shadows. If there's any depth to the group and you're using a flash, those in the back will be darker than those in front.

We had a nice grouping around the table, so I decided to keep everyone there and go for a high angle to see everyone's faces. I wanted to use a tripod anyway so I could be in the shot, and if you don't have a tripod that extends tall, try putting it on top of a small table.

For light, I added to the available by putting an accessory flash on the camera and bouncing it off the ceiling. Doing that spread the light over a larger area, helping to light the people at the back of the table nearly as much as those in the front. An added advantage to bouncing off the ceiling is that there aren't any harsh shadows or reflections to deal with.

The last step was triggering the camera. I could have used the self-timer, but wanted to shoot several (trying to get one where everyone looks good) and didn't want to have to keep jumping up to do that. Since I was using a Nikon D60 (our family snapshot camera) I used the handy little infrared remote that can be purchased for it. Setting it for a two-second delay let me trigger it and then hide the remote.

Best part of it all? I got a nice group photo, which means I won't have to do it again for while. Because I really DO hate doing group shots!