Choose Color in your Fall Photography Clothing

As tempting as it can be to revert to wearing a hundred shades of black or brown come the fall and wintertime, I highly encourage you all to step out of your comfort zone this season.

I know the stresses and struggles of figuring out What to Wear for Pictures.  Whether the pictures were just of my husband and I or – fast forward to our little ones pictures – then what to wear for family pictures – which included fall, summer, beach, winter, spring…you name it…I was always stressing about what to wear for pictures.  

Family pictures are super fun when a mom isn’t stressed and a dad will jump on board and have fun…right?  One way to have a less stressed mama is to coordinate your families outfits a week or two before your session…then have every one try on their outfits to make sure everything fits and is decent and in order!

Here in this post we are talking all things –What to Wear for Family Photos  Meaning coordinating everyone, what colors photograph well and what colors don’t.  How many patterns and textures you should aim for as well as consider the entire vibe of your session.

I always suggest that mom picks out her outfit FIRST…let’s face it, as a mom we can be hard to please…as well as hard on ourselves…so get your outfit knocked out first because you’ll be happier knowing you love your outfit.  Getting the rest of the family to match or coordinate to mom will be easy compared to choosing an outfit mom loves and is happy with!

• Think about layering for fall family pictures – scarves, cardigan, blazers or vests all look great
• Find a color scheme palette and stick with it for everyone
• Fall colors are gorgeous in photos.  The deep rich colors of the fall look amazing in pictures.

I don’t like for the entire family to match EXACTLY, but for each one to have a color that ties into the next one.  So if dad wants to wear his favorite orange and blue plaid shirt, mom should choose a solid top for herself and the children and add pops of color that also tie back into dad’s shirt or add more depth to the style.  A nice accessory might be an orange scarf or necklace on top of a tan top or a navy/orange bow for a child wearing a solid dress…just items to tie the overall look completely together.

Try using black, grey, denim, brown to help keep everyone grounded. Then add in two or three fun pops of color so everyone can add their own style to the outfit. Make sure to switch up the base through the outfit so you don’t have everyone in jeans and two different shirt colors. Put girls in dresses or tunics with tights. Have the guys wear your base color on top and choose a second base for them to wear on the bottom. Mix and match but make it fun. The goal is not for everyone to perfectly synced up. You want to be able to see a pattern when you take the photo as a whole.

I really hope this helps some of you pull your outfits together for this month and next. I am excited to see what you come up with. My family travelled out West this Summer and we decided to get our family pictures taken early. It may not have been our typical Fall photo, but honestly the colors are what I might have chosen if we had. We really were into the plum purple colors this year. My girls had other outfits, but it ended up being really warm. They had these beautiful Vintage Doll Cake dresses as backup outfits and I love how it turned out.

See you soon!

Jonae Cheger Photography