Fall Family Photo Outfits: What to Wear (and What Not To)
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Our photographer books out by the second week of September, which means every year I have about three weeks to figure out what five people are wearing, and every year I put it off until the night before. The pictures we still have framed are the years I planned it. The years I winged it are the ones where somebody is in a cartoon t-shirt.
So here is the whole system: the palette that photographs well, the rule that keeps you from looking like a catalog, the things that genuinely ruin a photo, and three complete looks. Everything is on Amazon, which matters when you have three weeks.
My Top Picks at a Glance
Best for mom: ribbed knit sweater dress. Shop it here
Best layering piece: chunky knit open cardigan. Shop it here
Best for dad or an older kid: oversized quilted coat. Shop it here
Best boots: tan knee high boots with a chunky heel. Shop it here
Best for little girls: smocked ruffle floral dress. Shop it here
Start With a Palette, Not With Outfits
Pick three colors and one neutral, then everybody pulls from that. For fall I use cream, camel and a deep muted color, usually olive or rust, with denim as the neutral. It photographs warm against trees that are turning, and it does not fight the background.
What to avoid: bright white, which blows out in direct sun and makes skin look gray. True black, which flattens into a shape with no detail. Neon anything. And more than one pattern per person.
Coordinate, Do Not Match
Matching means everyone in the same shirt. Coordinating means everyone in the same family of colors at different weights. The easy trick: assign one person the busiest piece, usually a floral or a plaid, and build everyone else around the colors inside it.
Ribbed Knit Sweater Dress
A long sleeve ribbed sweater dress is the single easiest thing a mom can wear in a fall photo. It reads polished, it does not wrinkle in the car, and the texture gives the camera something to hold onto in flat afternoon light.
Off the Shoulder Sweater Dress
Same idea with a little more occasion to it. Good if your session is at golden hour and you want something that looks intentional rather than everyday.
Shop the off the shoulder dress
Velvet Babydoll Mini Dress
Velvet is quietly the best photo fabric there is, because it catches light instead of reflecting it. This one works for a teenager or for mom with tights and boots.
Everyone Needs One Layer
Layers are what keep a family photo from looking like five people standing in a row. A cardigan that can come off halfway through the session also buys you a second look for free.
Chunky Knit Open Cardigan
Oversized, cream or oatmeal, long enough to belt if you want a waist. This is the piece I hand to whoever is least comfortable being photographed, because having something to put your hands in solves the what-do-I-do-with-my-arms problem.
Cozy Button Cardigan
A little more fitted and a little more polished. Good over the sweater dresses above when it actually gets cold.
Oversized Quilted Coat
My answer for dads and teenage boys, who will wear exactly one thing and it has to look like something they would already own. Quilted texture photographs beautifully and it comes in enough colors to fit any palette.
Casual Bomber Jacket
The lighter layer for a warm October. Stand collar, zip front, nothing fussy.
Shoes Are In The Photo, I Promise
Full body shots happen, and sneakers with a sweater dress is the thing you will notice in every single frame afterward. Two pairs of boots cover almost every fall session.
Tan Knee High Boots
Pointed toe, chunky heel, tall enough to wear with a dress without the awkward gap. Tan is more forgiving in photos than black because it keeps the leg line going.
Kitten Heel Ankle Boots
For uneven ground, which is most outdoor sessions. Low enough to walk a field in, dressy enough that nobody can tell you chose them for that reason.
Skinny Waist Belt
One belt turns an oversized cardigan or a shapeless dress into an outfit. Worth the eight dollars.
The Kids
Buy the kids' outfits first, then build the adults around them. It is backwards from how most people do it, and it is much faster, because children's clothes come in fewer colorways.
Smocked Ruffle Floral Dress
Smocking photographs wonderfully because the texture reads even from a distance, and a small floral is the pattern I let one person wear. Pull the adult palette from the colors in it.
Long Sleeve Smocked Dress
The cooler weather version for a baby or toddler, in soft fall colors.
Shop the long sleeve smocked dress
Cotton Floral Playwear Dress
Soft cotton, easy to move in, which matters more than anything else with a two year old who is going to be running by minute four.
Three Things That Ruin a Family Photo
Logos. A single visible brand name dates the picture and pulls the eye straight to it. Check the kids twice.
Brand new shoes. They photograph stiff and too bright. Wear them around the house for a day first.
Everyone in long sleeves and pants in the same color. You need at least one leg or one arm of contrast in the group or it reads as a wall.
Fall Family Photo Outfit FAQ
What colors are best for fall family pictures?
Cream, camel, olive, rust and denim. Muted and warm rather than bright. Pick three plus a neutral and let everyone pull from that set.
Should everyone wear the same color?
No. Same palette, different pieces and different weights. Matching reads dated in photos; coordinating reads intentional.
What should you not wear for family photos?
Bright white, true black, neon, visible logos, more than one pattern per person, and brand new shoes that still look stiff.
How far in advance should I buy outfits?
Three weeks. That gives you time for one return and one size swap, which you will need.
What do you wear for a fall photo session if it is still hot?
Dresses in lighter knits plus a layer you carry rather than wear. Bring the cardigan and add it for the last ten minutes when the light drops and the temperature does too.
More Fall Style Around Here
Fall Outfits for Women: A Wardrobe Refresh Shop it here
Workwear That Looks Designer Shop it here
Game Day Outfits for Any Age Shop it here
Join the email list and I will send the seasonal finds before they sell out, which for photo session season matters more than usual.
