Choosing the right outfits for your fall family photo session

One thing my clients always ask me is “what should we wear for our family photos?”

After being on TV and working with image consultants and photographing families for more than a dozen years, I’ve come up with a few basic guidelines for what to wear for a photo session.

Here are the three main rules I share with my clients to make sure everybody is looking good and feeling great in front of the camera.

I usually find an outfit for one of my kids or me that I just love and it naturally inspires me with a color palette. Often, the rest of us have something already in our closets that can work with that main outfit, but I may need to get something new for one of us.

Use that main outfit to determine your level of dress. Are you all going to a fancy cocktail party, a backyard picnic, or church? You don’t want one person dressed in sequins and heels while others are in ripped jeans and tennis shoes.

If you are heading out in the peak of the fall colors, you don’t want to blend in with the background. Jewel tones like a deep teal, navy blue, plum, or limited use of yellow can help you stand out from the fall leaves, while also allowing the leaves to add bold color to your images.

If you are going to a rustic location like Yates Mill County Park in Wake County, opt for lighter or bold colors that will stand out from the dark stone and wood. If you are going to do photos at the beach or a local lake with a sandy shore, opt for colors slightly more saturated than the washed-out colors of the sand and dunes so you don’t fade away into the background.

I always caution my clients to avoid solid black or white shirts. White usually gets washed out and the black can be heavy and throw off the balance of the overall image. I’m not as much of a stickler when it comes to black or white pants, but if you have a pet at home, make sure to bring a sticky or lint roller.

Just because a clothing item is a solid color doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. Look for fitted silhouettes and lots of texture. Maybe it’s a chunky cable knit sweater or a bold necklace that brings in the color of the inspiration outfit. Maybe it’s the shape. Puffy shoulders are very in these days and can add a bit of personality.

If you do need to incorporate a cream-colored top to help keep things coordinated without throwing off the color scheme, look for a top that, again, has texture and shape. This can keep the top from being totally washed out and just looking like a big bright spot in the images.

Let’s go back to the inspiration outfit. Say you find a cute floral patterned dress for you or your daughter(s). Maybe the store also has that same pattern in a matching legging for your other daughter. That’s a great way to match without being identical.

Then, pick out some of the colors in the pattern and find solid items for other family members. Maybe dad wears dark jeans and a yellow Henley or button-up. Older brother can wear chinos and a polo while mom wears a fitted solid casual dress or goes for darker jeans and a colorful top.

My favorite thing about Janie and Jack is that they have patterns that they repeat in different forms like dresses, skirts, shorts, and tops. So it’s really easy to coordinate the kids. And they have options for various ways to style the items so that not everybody has to be wearing the same outfit.