How do I make sure all subjects are in focus when taking group shots?

Moose

I was talking with a fellow T2i owner over on my Facebook page and he was wondering how to get all subjects in focus when shooting a group. I thought it would be beneficial to share our conversation with all of you...

Dax's Question: I'm having problems having everyone in a group in focus. I know how to manually focus, I just need help with the groups. How do I do it with my T2i? I'm using the Canon 50mm 1.8.

Moose's Answer: When shooting groups, you want to use an aperture between f/4 to f/8 depending on the number of people in the shot. This may seem backwards, because when shooting individual portraits you want to have an aperture between f/1.4 and f/2.8. By selecting a higher f-number, you're lengthening the depth of field (area in focus). This will ensure that nobody is blurred out.

To control the aperture, just shoot in Aperture priority (Av on the mode dial) and select the appropriate f-number.