Photographing a classical music ensemble: The Zoffany Ensemble in Barnet
One hour, two line-ups, one gust of wind and a roll of gaffer tape I nearly didn’t pack
I watched it happen in slow motion. A gust of wind caught the umbrella on my flash, the stand leaned, wobbled, and then went down onto the driveway with a crash.
The musicians were due out in a few minutes. I had one hour with them, a fixed date, no second chance and now a broken umbrella.
Here’s how the shoot for The Zoffany Ensemble came together anyway, and what it taught me about planning a group photo when the clock is against you.
The brief: publicity photos for a fundraising concert
Manon Derome got in touch to arrange an outdoor photograph of her classical music group, The Zoffany Ensemble, for publicity ahead of a fundraising concert at Conway Hall in London.
The ensemble performs in two line-ups, so Manon needed two group shots:
The quintet: violin, viola, cello, double bass and piano
The quartet: violin, viola, cello and piano
If the weather was kind, the musicians would hold their instruments. If not, they’d carry their cases. The pianist was the exception. A piano is a bit too big to carry round a garden.
The details that shaped everything:
One date: 24 August
One hour: 1:30pm to 2:30pm, fitted around the musicians’ schedules
One place: their rehearsal venue in Arkley, near Barnet. Moving anywhere else, even down the road, would have eaten into our time.
With the date, the time and the place all fixed, the only thing left to chance was the weather.
Why a location recce makes a one-hour shoot possible
When you only have an hour, you can’t spend twenty minutes of it walking round deciding where to stand. So I went over to see Manon a couple of weeks before the shoot.
Manon suggested I come at roughly the same time of day as the real thing. That was a brilliant call. The sun sits in a different place at 10am than it does at 2pm, and seeing it at the right time showed me exactly:
where the full sun would fall
where the shade would be
which backgrounds would work with five people and their instruments
I came away with two locations picked out, and I knew where the camera, the lights and the group would go in each one. On the day, the musicians’ hour could be spent being photographed rather than waiting around while I worked things out.
How to light an outdoor group photo in bright sun
Bright sunshine sounds perfect for photos. For a group it’s usually the opposite. People squint, you get dark shadows under eyes and noses, and with five people standing side by side some faces end up lit and others don’t.
Here’s the approach I used:
Put the group in open shade. The first spot was a driveway with big trees that blocked the direct sun, so everyone was lit evenly and nobody was squinting.
Add light back with flash. Shade can make faces look a bit flat and dull compared with a bright background. Two flashes fitted with umbrellas soften the light and lift the faces so they match the brightness of the scene behind them.
Lock the camera on a tripod. It keeps the framing identical between shots, which matters when you’re swapping between two line-ups in the same spot.
Open shade from the trees kept the light even across all five faces, with two flashes lifting them to match the bright house behind.
On the day the weather was fab: bright, slightly overcast, big puffy clouds drifting over, warm and a bit breezy. That last bit turned out to matter more than I expected.
What happens when the wind takes your lighting
I arrived early, unloaded the kit and set up in the shade. The breeze was picking up, but I’d brought sandbags for the light stands and had a heavy camera bag to add extra weight. Sorted. Well, sort of.
The moment the umbrellas went on, they turned into sails. I walked back to the camera to take a test shot, the wind gusted, and over it went.
The flash survived because the umbrella took the hit. The umbrella wasn’t so lucky. The shaft had snapped clean through.
Right. Don’t panic. What have I got?
I never carry gaffer tape. That morning, for no particular reason other than wanting to mark a spot on the driveway for the group to stand on, I’d thrown a roll in the back of the car. I ran out, grabbed it and taped the umbrella back together.
It wasn’t pretty. It didn’t need to be. It just needed to hold, and it did. The musicians never knew anything had happened.
It wasn't pretty. It didn't need to be. It just needed to hold for one more hour.
Two line-ups, two locations, one hour
Back in business, I photographed both line-ups on the driveway. Because the camera and lights stayed put, switching line-ups took moments. The tape mark on the ground told everyone exactly where to stand.
The quartet line-up, shot in the same spot as the quintet so switching took moments.
Then it was on to the second location in the back garden. That meant breaking down all the lighting, carrying it through the house and setting it up again, with my fingers crossed the taped umbrella would survive another round. A couple of test shots, a few adjustments, and we were done in about ten minutes.
The second location in the back garden. Lighting moved through the house and set up again, done in about ten minutes.
Two line-ups, two settings, a choice of images for posters, programmes and social media, and all inside the hour.
Planning publicity photos for your ensemble or band
If your group has a concert coming up, a few things make the shoot faster and the photos better:
Shoot where you already are. Your rehearsal venue saves travel time and everyone’s already there.
Share your line-ups in advance. Knowing it’s a quartet and a quintet shaped where I put everyone.
Decide on instruments or cases. Instruments look great, but have a plan if the weather turns.
Think about where the photos will go. A poster may need a tall image with space for text; a website banner usually needs a wide one.
Book a recce if time is tight. Half an hour on site beforehand can save the whole shoot.
What I learned, and what’s now in my kit bag
It was an interesting shoot and a big lesson learned:
Arrive early. If something goes wrong, you’ve still got time to fix it.
Don’t panic. Give yourself a moment to think and a solution usually turns up.
Pack for the unexpected. A spare umbrella and a roll of gaffer tape now live in the car permanently.
The quartet in the garden. You'd never guess one of the lights was held together with gaffer tape.
As soon as I got home I ordered a new umbrella, doubled the weight in my sandbags and bought velcro straps to keep everything tied down next time. It’s not the first time I’ve had to improvise on location either. A Sainsbury's bag and some Sellotape rescued a corporate shoot in the rain not long before this one.
Got a concert, performance or launch coming up?
Whether it’s a classical ensemble, a choir, a band or a solo performer, I’d love to hear what you’re planning. Tell me the date, the line-up and where you rehearse, and I’ll tell you how I’d make the most of the time you’ve got.
I work as an event photographer in St Albans & Hertfordshire, and as a personal branding photographer in St Albans for musicians and performers who want images that look like them. Drop me a message and let’s have a chat.
Questions about photographing music groups
How long does a group photo shoot for a music ensemble take?
With planning done in advance, it can be quick. The Zoffany Ensemble shoot covered two line-ups in two locations within one hour, and the second location took about ten minutes.
Can you photograph a band or ensemble at their rehearsal venue?
Yes, and it’s often the best option. Everyone’s already there with their instruments, nobody loses time travelling, and a quick recce beforehand shows me where the best light and backgrounds are.
What happens if the weather is bad on the day?
We plan for it. For this shoot, the musicians were ready to carry instrument cases instead of instruments if it rained, and I always look for covered or shaded spots during the recce.
Should musicians hold their instruments in publicity photos?
Where you can, yes. Instruments tell people instantly what kind of group you are. Larger ones like a piano or harp can’t come outside, so the player can still be placed in the group without one.
Do you cover Barnet and north London?
Yes. I’m based in St Albans, Hertfordshire, and Barnet is a short drive away. I regularly work across Hertfordshire, north London and central London.