I’ve been a family photographer in Boston for the last decade plus. If I polled all of my past clients about what the most difficult thing about coordinating family photos is, the response would be overwhelmingly similar. What should I wear for my family photos? How do I dress my kids? Do you have any advice for my partner’s outfit? Coordinating outfits usually falls on one parent and it can feel like an incredibly daunting task. Luckily for you, I have some simple tips to help you decide what to wear for Fall family photos this year.

The first thing to consider is where you live and what your backdrop is going to be. What to wear in Florida on a beach to best complement your surroundings is very different than what you’d want to wear here in New England. In Massachusetts, we are very seasonal. The Fall season brings colorful leaves, golden grasses, and warm sunsets. Because there are a lot of warmer tones in the Fall landscape (golds, browns, oranges, reds, mustard) you want your clothing to *also* have warm tones. If you chose something like bright pink, bright purple, cobalt blue, or kelly green…these would fight against the backdrop. Instead, you want to look for the warm versions of these colors: mauve, plum, navy or soft blue, olive.

A full list of great colors to wear for Fall family photos would include:

• Plum Purple
• Olive Green
• Cornflower Blue
• Mustard Yellow
• Burnt Orange
• Rust Reds
• Mauve Pink

Pairing these colors with neutrals builds a cohesive family outfit. Warm neutrals include:

• Camel
• Chocolate Brown
• Khaki
• Cream
• Oatmeal

The next thing to consider is having layering options. In the Boston area, September and October can range from very warm (sometimes still in the 80s!) to very chilly (dropping into the 50s) in the evenings. Sometimes clients aren’t sure how to handle these temperature fluctuations! The best advice I can give is to go with pants versus shorts and prepare a neutral sweater that everyone can throw on if needed. Open cardigans are great for layering without hiding the outfit below. Grabbing some cute ribbed stockings for kids wearing dresses to have on hand is always a great idea too!

What you shouldn’t do is over or underdress your kids without any options. Hot and cold kids are unhappy kids and you want them to be comfortable and feeling like their best selves!

Lastly, let’s chat about the ideal pieces of clothing to choose. The truth is that what you feel best in is always a great choice. The suggestions I make (or other photographers) is simply based upon what we see photographs best, on all bodies and from an artistic standpoint.

What to wear for family photos that photographs well:

• Textures like lace, knits, crushed velvet, linens.
• Long dresses and skirts with movement (this is super eye-catching in photos)
• Clothing pieces that skim the body versus cling.
• Natural fabrics (try to avoid rayon and other clingy/staticky options)
• Henley tees and layered open button downs over t-shirts
• Crew neck sweaters

What tends to not photograph well:

• Neon or very bright colors
• Clingy or ill-fitting outfit pieces
• Mock neck or collared shirts on kids (the collars block their cute smiles and necks!)
• Headbands that constantly fall in faces
• Pants and shirts on smaller babies and young toddlers (choose one piece rompers and overalls so diapers aren’t hanging out and you aren’t constantly pulling up and down!

Want more Fall family photo outfit inspiration? Follow along on instagram!