It’s that time of year again! Everyone is scheduling their fall family pictures. I don’t really know why fall is such a popular time, but I have been busy scheduling sessions all throughout October and November. I guess it’s because the leaves are so beautiful and we have to get ready to send out those Christmas cards! My number one question when scheduling clients is, “what should I wear?”. I offer styling services (a little perk of being a personal stylist and photographer), but here are some general tips for making sure you look great in those fall family pictures.
Tip #1 – Colors
I tell my clients to pick 3 complimentary colors and one neutral, and plan everyone’s outfit with those colors in mind. I would also recommend taking the environment into account when picking those colors. Lastly, make sure those colors are rich and muted.
An example would be using the colors mustard yellow, crimson, navy, and cream. Those are colors that look nice together, they compliment the colors of the autumn leaves, and they are muted (I’ll explain that in a little bit). Other colors that look nice would be a dark teal, muted royal blue, even a rich plum color. Jewel tones and nudes are the prettiest!
You could stick to mainly neutrals such as black, navy, or cream and accent with a colorful scarf.
2. Avoid bright colors
Bright colors can look really pretty in a picture but, depending on the light, can create color casts on the face. That can make your skin look funky, especially if it’s a bright yellow shirt like this one my husband is wearing.
In reality, those color casts can be fixed in editing, but it can be difficult so sticking to rich, muted tones is going to make everything look nicer overall.
An example would be a mustard yellow shirt vs a bright yellow shirt. Or maybe a rich, teal sweater vs a bright blue sweater.
Tip # 3 – Avoid Patterns
Well, let me just say that not ALL patterns are bad. Some patterns are totally fine, like larger plaids and polka dots. The reason I say to avoid patterns is because some patterns, such as really small stripes, can create this moire effect that looks super funky in pictures. Just look at this picture of Alex.
It’s not totally horrible but can be avoided. Plaids actually look nice in fall photos, but keep the plaid to one person. Choose a print for one family member and then plan the other colors around that print.
Tip # 4 Avoid Characters
My 4 year old LOVES this dress that has a purple tutu and Elsa and Anna on it. It is her favorite. I have a lot of photos with this dress on because she wears it all of the time. I think as she looks back on these pictures, she will love seeing herself playing around in her favorite purple tutu dress.
That being said, she can’t wear that dress in family photos. I think this is a given, but just to be safe, I felt like I needed to add this tip. Leave the Cars 2 shirt at home. And husbands, this means the Beastie Boys shirts too.
Tip # 5 Be Comfortable
Family pictures are a pain to everyone but mom. No one wants to be there, but mom. Dad is looking at his phone, the kids are hanging from tree limbs, and mom is yelling at everyone to sit still and smile. It can be a mess. Why make it harder than it needs to be? I tell clients to let their kids wear their chuck taylors, maybe a fun dress for girls, whatever will help them feel most comfortable. I like to have everyone moving to keep it light hearted, so having the right shoes/clothes for that is essential.
I have found that if the kids are moving 80% of the time, they won’t mind standing for the Christmas card picture the other 20%.
So there you have it. I have included some examples and links below. Take a look!!
p.s. These examples contain affiliate links to help me pay for the blog. Thanks so much for supporting me!
