Thanks, guys. I'll be standing on the sidewalk in front of the building with no option to backup (unless I risk getting nailed by a car). Distance between me and the first row might be 20ft tops. And now I see I was overestimating the width of the rows. Looks more like 12 people across. The pic time isn't until 10:30, so I'll get out there beforehand and take some tests. Depth of field will be important, obviously. And these prints have always been printed at a fairly large size. I'm guessing 11x14 or bigger. They get framed and hung on the walls of public areas of the building.
The trouble with ladders is it rules out a tripod. Plus it would make this image looked decidedly different than all previous images. So I'll be on the ground right in front of everyone.
I plan on using continuous shooting to get as maybe shots as possible. I've done this in the past and it's paid off by getting as close to a perfect shot as possible. I may try some bracketing, too, although that can be adjusted in PS.
Here's the pic I took in 2009 that they used. I made one big mistake, and that was allowing people to stand behind the trash can instead of in front of it. Didn't even notice until afterward. Neither did anyone of the other folks taking pics. Oops. Won't make that mistake again. I'll also make sure the windows are closed. That open one looks hideous. In the final printed image, the pic was straightened and the trash can was partially hidden by a graphic with the school logo, so the print looks much better.
