First large group shoot

[acer0001]

Well, somehow word got out that I do fotografie on the side as a hobby and I got asked to do a group shoot for a company this Monday. This is for a company annual get-together of about 100 people that they have every year. I've only done a large group only once about 8 years ago indoors with medium format and it turned out just OK, nothing spectacular. This year they would like to do it outside, with which I agree with. Here's a sample they had from last year:



It sounds like they just want the image in digital form and will use it to hand out to all thier employees. They stated that thier budget for this is $150-200. They said that I can only anticipate that I will have a 20-30 min. window to work with.

What do you guys think and any pointers?

[CaptainTom]

I am not a large group expert, but have had some luck both good and bad.
suggestions:
1- have at least two or three people who are there to direct the people, keep them in place, eyes open, etc.
2- getting them to stand as close together as possible can be a challange. Make it fun, and work quickly. Boredom happens in about 10 minutes.
3- scout the location ahead of time. test shoot for lighting and exposure. Make sure you can assure the correct DOF for the size of the group.
4-Have a tall step ladder so you can get above them and shoot down to make sure you get the back rows clearly.
5- make sure they understand that you will shoot several frames, so they don't see a flash or something and take off back inside.
6- high shutter speed and high aperture (f11) are your friends in this situation.
someone will be moving, and depth of field will make or break the shot.
7- live right, quit drinking and smoking, say a prayer, and cross your fingers.