The key to taking good pictures of a group is to pose them well, and then take lots of pictures and variations. Remember, your digital film is free, or at least, can be reused if you take more photos than you need. That's one of the great advantages of using a digital camera to take photos of people.

1. If you have more than four people in a group, arrange them into two or more roughly equal rows. If you have more than three rows, look for risers or steps to arrange your group on.

2. Create an interesting, balanced collection of people. Don't line everyone up in order of height. You might have the taller people in the middle with shorter people on either side of them, but don't make them look like a human staircase.

3. Have your group assume casual, loose poses. They shouldn't be facing the camera dead-on like a firing squad.

4. Keep the group tight rather than widely spaced.

5. Shoot from an angel other than head on. Groups look more natural if not photographed from directly in front.

6. Warn everyone just before you snap the photo. Ask them to smile, say "Cheese," or anything that will relax them.

7. Shoot lots of pictures of a group. The larger the group, the better your chances that someone will have their eyes closed, or will be distracted, sneezing, or looking elsewhere.