Fall is the perfect time for family photos. It’s a time of harvest festivals, fall colors, and perfect crisp weather.
If you want to make the most of this picturesque season, we’ve compiled some tips that should help you take the best family photos you can – even if you’re not a photography expert.
Here are some fun fall family photo ideas we think you’ll fall in love with!
🍂 Outfit Ideas
🍂 Clothing & Decor
🍂 Shooting Tips
Ideas For Family Photo Outfits
Whether you are taking a photo for holiday cards, posting it on social media, or hanging it prominently in your home, you want a great photo. This is why you should put some thought into what you will all be wearing – plan those outfits down to the last details!
Choosing outfits is integral to successful family photos. You don’t want anyone in the family to be in baggy jeans or looking sloppy. Here are some family outfit ideas to keep in mind!
Don't Forget Layers
No matter what your outfit ideas might be, be sure they’re appropriate for fall weather. That pretty summer dress may look great on you, but if it’s made of cotton or t-shirt material, you’ll be freezing in the middle of your family photo session.
Consider incorporating hats and scarves in your family photos. Yes, they look great, but you want to feel comfortable in what you’re wearing. No one can look like they’re having a good time when they’re shivering!
Some Fall Outfit Ideas
When choosing family photo outfits, stick to classic colors and cuts so your photo looks timeless. Solid colors and an earth-toned color scheme are a better choice than trendy prints and graphic tees that will date the photo right away.
Jeans are always a good choice since they never go out of style. Layering and textures are your friends – they are great ways to add accents and patterns to your fall family photo.
Don’t Match, Compliment
Instead of going for the identical twins vibe with your family photo outfit ideas, choose colors that contrast or have complementary tones. Gimmicky fall family photos with everyone wearing the same thing are outdated, but matching is tolerable in small doses. These days it’s more popular to have everyone wearing one or two complementary colors but otherwise keep the color palette varied and natural.
Remember Accessories
Accessories help turn clothes into outfits – the difference is in the details. Here is one place you can match, as hats, headbands, and other accents can tie your fall family photo outfits together without being too matchy.
Keep The Patterns To A Minimum
Patterns can be fun and bring visual interest to your photos, but they can also come off as busy. For smartly coordinated outfits, limit the patterns to the accessories or one or two items of clothing. Maybe the children’s clothes can have patterns while mom and dad stick to solids with patterns as accents.
Lay Out All Your Outfits Together
So you’ve picked out some great outfits! Now it’s time to make sure they work together. When polishing off your family photo outfit ideas, laying the clothing out next to each other can help you picture how it will all look.
Some dresses might seem great together in theory but when they are put up next to each other, they clash. Do this for all the clothes you are going to wear if you are bringing more than one outfit each.
Some More Tips For That Perfect Fall Family Photo
Getting that perfect shot isn’t just about coordinating clothes, there are a few other things to keep in mind when you’re taking a family portrait. Here are some other tips and ideas to get excellent photos that you’ll keep for years to come.
Know Your Decor
Your fall family pictures aren’t just something you’ll post on social media for validation purposes – these pictures might also be displayed in your home. Coordinating clothes with each other is one thing, but you also want to keep in mind the color palette of the decor of your house when choosing your outfits. You don’t want your perfectly crafted family photos to clash with your living room color scheme!
Pick The Golden Hour
Here is a little photography trick: if you are planning on shooting outdoor photos, be sure to take advantage of the golden hour. When you have your fall family picture outfits ready, pick a day and go out around an hour before sunset. That’s when the light is soft, golden, and makes everyone look amazing.
Autumn light is already flattering with the golden foliage and gorgeous fall sunsets, making it the best time to take family photos. Be sure to check what time sunset will be before you head out though, and remember that it gets earlier and earlier as winter approaches.
Choose An Overcast Day For Your Photo Session
Another one of our photography tips is to take your photo on an overcast day. Don’t choose a day that’s too sunny for your big family picture day! Indirect light is better for photographs, and overcast days bring out the earth tones in the foliage.
Rainy days in the fall might also give your photos a dreamy aspect. Be sure to dress in bright jewel tones if you are going for that rainy day aesthetic – the contrast will look great in the final photo.
Strike A Pose
Every family has its own style, but if you are the type to love polished family photos, you’ll want to strike a good pose for that ideal shot. Here are some great ideas for inspiration:
- Standing by a copse of trees with great foliage
- A baby girl or boy curled up in a pumpkin patch
- Your kids standing on hay bales
- An expectant mom sitting next to her partner holding a pumpkin
These poses are big on social media. It’s fun, charming, and stylish – you’re sure to get a lot of comments!
Take Some Candids
Though posed photos are classic, don’t shy away from candid shots of your family, especially if you’ve employed a photographer. Maybe they can capture your mom with the little ones jumping in the leaves, your baby girl sitting on a hay bale, or your whole family enjoying apple cider after a long day of apple picking.
The candid family photos will help you remember the day and all the fun you had on your fall family photo session adventure.
Take Advantage Of Your Setting
Fall is one of the most charming times of the year and if you are looking for the perfect fall family pictures the key to great photos is to use your setting. Instead of going to a studio, go somewhere outdoors where you can take a natural shot in an interesting place. You can also check blogs for some inspiration for fall photo sessions settings if the following aren’t your style.
Apple Orchards
An apple orchard can be a perfect place to take a great family photo. After all, it’s the most popular time of the year to go apple picking and a great activity to get candid photos out of the kids!
Need outfit ideas for apple picking? Wear blues and greys to make the color of the apples pop more.
Pumpkin Patches
Pumpkin patches are very photogenic and will look especially nice in a room of neutrals – the orange of the pumpkins will really pop and give the room a subtle bit of color. If you are looking to have your family photoshoot in a pumpkin patch, keep your outfits neutral to let the orange of the pumpkins really come out.
Groves Of Trees
It’s the fall, you can’t take photos and not take advantage of the gorgeous fall foliage everywhere. Everything looks good with the backdrop of golden light and fallen leaves. Don’t waste the fall colors – pick a good spot and take some great shots.
Harvest Festivals
Another great setting for family photography is a harvest festival. Nothing says “fall” like decorative gourds and cornucopias filled with wheat, corn, and other crops. You can even match the theme in your outfits with vivid reds and oranges.
Closing Thoughts
You don’t have to be an expert in photography to get perfect fall photos of you and your family. Coordinate your family photo outfits for a put-together shot but don’t forget to let a little spontaneity into your photo session. You just need a little preparation and a steady hand with a tripod, and you’re all set!
Don’t forget you’re making memories as well as a perfect family photo. If you are having fun it will come through in the photo. Plus, you’ll have a great post for social media or a memorable picture that will stand proudly on your mantel for years to come!
Your family picture should last you the rest of your life, but if you ever need to print or restore those memories and you are looking for a website or service that can help you, then contact us at Image Restoration Center. We can help you get that done easily and for an affordable price.
We’re Not Like ‘Other’ Photo Restoration Services.
Take into account that, unlike other photo restoration services, we don’t just fix the obvious problems and throw a filter over everything – we comb through your images pixel-by-pixel to repair damage & create a perfect restoration of your prints!
