What to Wear for Fall Family Photos

Did you feel it? The other day we got home from school (read: daycare) and the clouds were a gorgeous shade of foreboding, moving slowly toward our neighborhood from the city. I let the kids play outside for a bit while we waited for the weather to arrive, and then it happened: that barometer shift of air pressure, from high humidity to low, and for the briefest of moments, I could feel fall in the air.

Fall, and bubbles.

That, coupled with the slots on my calendar rapidly filling up, remind me that the seasons are changing, and if you haven’t already, now is a good time to start thinking about scheduling fall family photos.

I ran data (I love data) last week, which just managed to affirm my suspicions that fall is the most popular time of year for family photos. Look at this beauty:

If that doesn’t scream “definitive data” I don’t know what does.

My theory as to why everyone waits until November, when October is actually the best month for fall color, is that picking out what everyone should wear for photos is overwhelming, and delaying until the last possible moment helps you feel better. But does it?

I have general guidelines for choosing what to wear for photos that I share in every session prep guide, from family to maternity and newborn. They’re a good starting place. I also shared three strategies for choosing your family photo wardrobe last fall. But if you need more inspiration, or a visual (I’m a visual learner too), I’ve got you.

Color themes

One of the guidelines I offer in the prep guide is to coordinate your outfits around a color theme. Here’s what I mean by that:

You don’t need to wear the same colors for your outfits to be well-coordinated. In fact, it’s nice to have some contrast, or a pop of a contrasting color, rather than to wear all the same thing. The outfits above all work well because of this pop of color: Casey’s pop of gold over the otherwise neutral palate; Christy’s plum is the same jewel tone as the greens her boys are wearing, but is on the opposite side of the color wheel; Megan’s teal is a perfect contrast to the gold in the trees and her baby girl’s outfit; and my mom’s sweater, which pulls a color from my dad’s plaid shirt.

Layer up

Fall also brings the cooler (and then colder) weather that we both love and hate, and it can be tempting to pile everyone into coats so they don’t catch their death of cold. But then, if you’re doing that, there’s really no reason to choose outfits, is there? Or, you spend 2 minutes before and after each photo taking off and putting on coats and scarves and mittens and..

Instead, build up your layers.

Either include warm layers under your top “pretty” layer, by wearing long-sleeve or long john layers under sweaters, or include fun accessories like vests, scarves, and fuzzy outer layers. You can also embrace the hat, and then not worry about hair. Bonus.

Also, utilizing fleece, sweaters, and warm knits are a must for fall.

Stuff your pockets.

One of the other tips I give in the prep guide is to empty your pockets before your session. Phones, chapstick, and keys are bulky items that can make pockets bulge in odd places. But here’s something to consider, particularly if your session is on an especially cold day: handwarmers for the pockets. They lay relatively flat in your pocket, and you can stick your hands into your pockets between photos, or pull them out and let your kids hold them to warm up their fingers on blustery days. (I have no photos of hand warmers in action, but just believe that it’s a good idea.) You can get them at CVS/Walgreens/Target/Walmart/etc as the weather gets colder. Or you can order them through our Amazon overlords, here. In fact, that’s such a good idea that I just ordered a big pack to have on hand for sessions this fall. So if you forget yours, or can’t manage to order them ahead of time, I’ve got you.

So that’s it. November family sessions in RVA are the most popular, because (I theorize) you can’t get outfits picked out in time to enjoy October. But this, and the accompanying session prep guide, should help with that.

Now, might I suggest an October session? On a weekday, maybe? Go here to look over the family photos process and get the party started.

This was taken in November though. So don’t fret if November is all that’s left when you reach out.