I can finally feel a bit of fall in the air. The cool morning breeze and gray clouds make me want to cuddle up under a blanket with a good book & my favorite candle burning. Anybody else craving a change in season?

And with the cooler weather comes one of my favorite fall traditions – fall family photos! I’m so excited to see so many of you again soon. This month I’ve really started digging into outfit inspiration for fall (and what my own family will wear for photos), so I thought now was a great time to share some outfit ideas as they relate to color palettes I love.

Picking outfits for the whole family is one of the hardest (if not the toughest) part to family photos. So, as I began to put together ideas for my own family, I thought it only fitting to share some of what’s inspiring me as we head into Fall 2023. While I think it’s wise to consider the season when choosing outfits, I don’t think that simply because you’re doing photos in the fall you have to stick to an Autumn color palette. I personally don’t look my best in warm fall colors (and neither does my husband), and when I consider how these photos will look around my home, a classic palette is more fitting. Below I’ve included four different mood boards that I hope will provide inspiration whether you’d like to include some fall/winter colors or go with a more classic palette.

Women’s Look: Sezane | Men’s: Bonobos | Toddler Girl: Old Navy Skirt, Blush Cashmere Sweater from Quince

Classics: To elevate the little girls’ look here (and keep everything more classic), I’d pair the skirt & sweater outfit with a more minimal flat (like a ballet flat). If you’re incorporating more kids, light gray and or light blue (in the same color family as the sea foam) would also look great here. Dad’s button-up and sweater would look great with navy slacks or dark jeans, or depending on if Mama wore brown boots like in this example, light brown slacks like khaki or camel would also look nice.

Women’s Look: Cashmere Sweater, Silk Skirt – both Quince | Men’s: Bonobos | Girl: Fall Patterned Dress H&M | Little One: Baby Cashmere Sweater Set from Quince | Girl: Blue Corduroy dress from J.Crew

Fall Inspired: Don’t be afraid of mixing knits in the same color family. Mom’s ivory cashmere sweater in the example here will still look great with Baby’s cream sweater set, mainly due to the difference in textures. While Baby’s outfit is a chunky knit with a lot of visual interest, Mom’s cashmere sweater is smooth & the copper brown silk slip skirt breaks up the overall color in her outfit. Additionally, when pairing outfits, I think about how each of the outfits will look when I think about the smaller groupings: siblings together, Mom with each kid, Dad with each kid, etc. A winning group will look great in each smaller grouping as well!

Women’s: Blue Wrap Dress, Quince | Men’s: Cream Fisherman Sweater, Quince | Yellow Little Girls’ Dress: Quince | Little Boy Brown Sweater Set | Little Boy’s Blue Sneakers | Girls Navy Skater Dress

Pop of Color: In this example, I’ve gone with a wrap dress for Mom (a flattering style for most women) in medium blue. Blue is one of my favorite colors in photographs, and it’s a color that typically looks great on just about everyone. There are so many different variations that look amazing in photos: from navy to light blue and everything in between! And don’t be afraid to mix blues here – a light or even medium blue like Mom’s dress still looks great with navy.

To tie in the other colors, I’d add a little cream cardigan to the girl’s yellow dress (and possibly one for Mom as well, depending on the weather) – something open, with a good drape. Also, for the navy dress, I suggest adding a pop of yellow. This could be in a hair bow, headband, cardigan or shoes. And, I’d add navy shoes for the little boy to tie all the siblings’ looks together.

Women’s: Fall Floral Dress from Lovestitch | Men’s Cream Cable Knit Sweater from Bonobos | Boys: Hunter Green Cable Knit Sweater from J.Crew | Boys: Navy Cardigan from GAP | Boys: Khaki pants from GAP

Deep Fall: In this one, Mama’s outfit has the fall pattern & I’ve pulled colors for Dad & the boys from the dress pattern. For both the hunter green sweater & navy cardigan, I see layering a collared shirt underneath (in a light color like white, gray, light blue or a pattern like plaid) to add interest & brightness. I also really like the idea of Dad’s cream sweater being paired with hunter green pants, like in this photo. It could also be paired with navy pants or even jeans, depending on how casual you wanted to go. I see brown shoes for all the guys in this example. Mama’s shoes could be more dressy, like the example here, or I think boots would also be beautiful with this dress.

I hope this has given you some ideas for your upcoming photo shoot – maybe this has inspired you to consider some color combinations you may not have thought of!

In general, I’d say start by shopping your closet. Look at your current wardrobe – what do you love? What makes you feel confident? Mama, if you have a dress or outfit you love, start there & build the rest of the family around your look. Like in the Deep Fall board above, perhaps you can pull accent colors from your favorite dress for the other members of the family. If you’re starting from scratch, look through your family’s wardrobe for a single color – like cream or blue. From there, you can start filling in to add visual interest through various shades or textures.

If you see gaps in your wardrobe and are looking for specific pieces, I have a couple of recommendations I’d love to share. First, Quince (which you’ll see I pulled inspiration pieces from in several of these examples). I have personally ordered multiple items from Quince & I love the quality. Their cashmere is soft & beautiful (and affordable, for cashmere), and I have a couple dresses from them as well. Anytime I’ve run into any issues (like getting a different size for Eliana, for example), they’ve been super helpful. Clients who have booked a session with me will also get a referral code for $20 off their first order of $50 or more (must be first time customers & use my referral link – in email). Lastly, there’s free shipping, and Quince’s return period is 365 days.

Secondly, last fall I started using Rakuten (a shopping portal for cash back), and it has been a game changer. Using my link (above), if you make a qualifying purchase of $30 or more through the app, Rakuten will send you a check for $30 (this is a referral link, so I also will also get $30). There are hundreds of stores on the app (with rotating amounts of cash back), so it’s been a great tool to use for most of the brands we buy from as a family. I used the portal to shop for Christmas gifts last year & got cash back on all of it! In addition, it’s been great for getting cash back on routine purchases (like pet food) throughout the year.

As always, I really enjoy seeing what outfits you’re considering and answering any questions you may have about coordinating your family for photos. Feel free to reach out to my directly with specific questions, and I look forward to capturing your family soon!