Fall Photography Wardrobe

Finding the perfect outfit for your family session may take a little bit of work, but you probably have great pieces already in your closet that could work together! Also, use these tips below to help formulate a plan.

Tip 1 – Color Palettes:

Pick a main color (for groups of 3 or less) or two (groups of 3 or more) and pair it with neutrals! Your main color(s) can be a bit bolder & brighter. The others should be tans, creams, navy (yep, navy is a neutral), grays, browns. Build your outfits around that color palette.

A few options that work well:

– yellow, navy, gray, cream

– orange, navy, brown, cream

– maroon, gold, tan, navy

– emerald green, navy, tan, cream

– olive green, navy, brown, cream

A fall photoshoot ideally has greens, reds, oranges, yellows in the background due to the foliage, so you want your outfits to compliment (and be complimented by) that!

Typically, you’ll also want to avoid pure white and pure black. Pure white will pick up the colors of the sky / ground around you and in fall, typically that is blue (sky) or green (grass). I know black makes us all look trimmer and some folks have a primarily black wardrobe, but black outfits (or sweaters or jeans) will make your full image look particularly heavy.

Tip 2 – Color Coordinating:

Don’t go overboard when coordinating your outfits. You don’t all need to be in jeans and a white sweater. Have some fun with the colors. If one of you is wearing dark jeans, the other should be wearing lighter jeans or tan chinos (don’t want your legs to be the same color and blend together)! If one of you is wearing a cream sweater, the other shouldn’t also be wearing a cream sweater.

Another thing to consider when picking out outfits is the colors in your home! If you anticipate hanging your images on your walls, think about what colors will look nice against the colors of your shelves and accent walls and such.

Tip 3 – Start with ONE:

Regardless of if you’re having a family fall photoshoot or a couples session featuring the foliage, ONE member of your party should choose their entire outfit first.

Let’s say I’m photographing a mother, father, and their 3 kids. I’d recommend having mom pick out her entire outfit first. Then build on that outfit by picking out dad’s coordinating outfit. Then rummage through the children’s clothing to find coordinating pieces.

This allows one outfit to be the base and you can build on that!

Tip 4 – Avoid an Eyesore:

For your fall photoshoot, you want to keep patterns to a minimum. Avoid graphic t’s or sweaters with large logos on them. Solid colors and traditional patterns like checkers, plaid, or houndstooth look great on camera. Also, subtle patterns look great, too.

When you’re coordinating outfits, again think about who can be next to one another – don’t put both mom and dad in a plaid shirt, maybe put mom in a solid option and dad in a patterned sweater.

I always recommend (and beg of my clients) to not wear thin, high contrast striped clothing (think black and white striped shirts). The digital camera cannot process the thin alternating lines well.

Tip 5 – Accessorize & Add Layers

Fall is the perfect time to wear scarves, hats, vests, and other accessories! Wear a bold lip or cute bootie socks! Wear a sweater over a collared shirt. Layer a vest over a sweater. You have so many options!