The group portrait: when bonding becomes communication

Communication World, May-June, 2004 by Philip N. Douglis

Group portraits are a staple of organizational publications. But most say nothing to readers because organizational group shots are usually made and published to boost the egos of those who appear in them.

Group portraiture must express the nature of the group itself to be effective as communication. To capture the essence of a group, photographers must somehow define the bonds that transform the individuals into a group. Here are four examples of group portraits that do just that.

I made the two-person group portrait above in Punta Arenas, Chile, at a commemoration honoring the explorations of Fernando Magellan. Dressed in vintage local attire, this pair listens impassively to a speech describing the impact of Magellan's voyage on their region. They stand before an impressive monument to the explorer--the softly focused bronze rendering of Magellan's ship behind them adds context. They convey a sense of history, dignity, pride and honesty. Although gender and expression differ, they are bonded by these basic human values, defining the place and its people.

Ray Lupo, a Washington, D.C., attorney, captured the second example as part of a project for a digital photography class he was attending with me at the Santa Fe Workshops. Lupo found this trio on a Santa Fe, N.M., USA, street corner and asked them to pose for a portrait bonding yesterday and today into a seamless whole. The men at left and center look at us as if they have come straight from another time, while the fellow on the right seems comfortable in the present. He extends his arm as if to include, but not embrace, the others, while his smile engages us. His modern pipe and American flag pin are details that turn yesterday into today. The adobe wall and mellow earth tones wrap this portrait in a southwestern context. The abundant facial hair, western hats and local costumes bond them all into a cohesive trio--Lupo calls them "The Three Hombres."

The third example is an industrial group portrait featuring four merchant seamen passing time on the deck of a British container ship wending its way through the Panama Canal. I made this portrait as our cruise ship sailed past the container ship. These sailors were so close to me that I could fill my frame with them by using only a 200mm telephoto lens. The vivid colors of their uniforms harmonize with the color of their ship. Three of the four wear hearing protection gear incongruously on their heads instead of over their ears. Their body language bonds them into a group--the relaxed arms, a leg up on a railing, the tilt of a head, the friendly but curious expressions on their faces tell us who they are.

The final example features six members of the Syracuse University (Syracuse, N.Y., USA) Geography Department on an outing. Shot by Joe Stoll, a cartographer in that department, this group portrait uses a forested environment to bond the six people (and their dog) into a cohesive group. Both trees and geographers move horizontally across the frame as a series of rhythmic vertical thrusts. The man kneeling with the enthusiastic dog in the opening between the trees creates the focal point--the dog is the only member of the group showing its back to the camera. The right half of the picture features a series of five large tree trunks with four people arranged amidst them. Each person is far enough from the camera to become part of the forest, yet close enough to be seen as an individual. The bond, of course, is the forest itself, an appropriate setting for a band of geographers who study the earth and its features.

Philip N. Douglis, ABC, directs The Douglis Visual Workshops, now in its 33rd year of training communicators in visual literacy. Douglis, an IABC Fellow, is the most widely known consultant on editorial photography for organizations. He offers comprehensive six-person Communicating with Pictures workshops every May and October in Oak Creek Canyon, near Sedona, Ariz. For registration information, call 1 602.493.6709, or send an e-mail to pnd1@cox.net. Send photos for possible use in this column to The Douglis Visual Workshops, 2505 E. Carol Avenue, Phoenix, AZ, USA 85028. You can view Douglis's 12-gallery "cyberbook" on expressive digital travel photography at www.pbase.com/pnd1.>

COPYRIGHT 2004 International Association of Business Communicators

COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning