School Pre-Ball Photography — Benowa

A large group pre-ball at a private Benowa home

A large school pre-ball photographed at a private home in Benowa — a full house of students and parents, and around two hours of coverage before everyone left for the venue.

Photographing a large pre-ball group

A large school pre-ball photographed at a private home in Benowa. Big groups, a full house of students and parents, and about two hours of coverage before everyone left for the venue.

Large pre-balls need a different approach to a family session. The full group shot is the one everybody wants and the hardest to get right — forty students on a lawn, no one hidden, no one blinking, done before the light goes. I'll usually get that out of the way early while everyone's still in one place, then work through couples, friendship groups and candids as the afternoon runs on.

If you're hosting one

The full group shot is the one everybody wants and the hardest to get right — fifty students, nobody hidden, nobody blinking. Pick the spot before the day and give everyone a time for it; chasing fifty students around a house at 5pm is how it ends up rushed. Anything with height helps: a staircase, a terrace above a lawn, or a pool edge all stack the back rows so every face is visible. A flat lawn is the hardest surface to shoot a big group on.

If you're after a smaller session for just your family, see an intimate family pre-formal here.

Pre-ball and pre-formal sessions run across Benowa, Ashmore, Carrara, Bundall and the wider Gold Coast, from $180 per hour. See more pre-ball photography or check availability.

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