Fall Family Portrait Outfit Guide

Happy Wednesday, SSP Family! 

We’re deep in the throws of booking and planning fall family shoots, and I just had one of those moments of panic where you realize September is only NINE DAYS AWAY! Sheesh. It feels like we just wrapped up bluebonnet sessions and now here we are trying to figure out how to add more time with Santa…

Nevertheless, it’s time to start preparing for fall (or as Texans call it, “football season” - what is this fall you speak of?!). Our favorite retailers have released their fall lines, and Hobby Lobby is already decked out for Christmas. It feels so wrong to walk through Hobby Lobby packing my cart with cute pumpkins and Christmas wreath making supplies when it’s still literally 100 degrees outside. As fall decor enthusiasts, we embrace the irony, wipe our sweat, and keep on perusing the ornaments! 

The emails are beginning to trickle in asking the same question - what do we wear for our fall family photos? Rather than responding to each individually, we’ve compiled our recommendations for fall family coordinating outfit choices onto a Pinterest board to help guide you and hopefully put your worries at ease! We also feel very honored *and a little nervous* that you trust us in helping you make these decisions (side note: once upon a time, my very favorite outfit in the whole wide world was a Lion King leotard with neon spandex shorts and some red cowboy boots. I would have happily worn that for family portraits. We’ve come a long way here, people. My mom is so proud). We’ll continue to add pins as we get inspired, and you’re always welcome to send pins our way if you find something that inspires you! 

Without further ado, here is our recommended fall outfit round-up! Clicking that sentence will take you to a Pinterest board we’ve created to help guide your shopping and searching for the right color coordination for your family. With Labor Day quickly approaching (again, where the heck did August go!?), there are lots of sales coming up! Old Navy and Gap tend to run really good sales and will have options for every member of the family that coordinate. 

Other helpful tips:

For most of the locations we shoot at, family photos will be shot both sitting and standing. Make sure your jeans are stretchy enough to sit or side squat (dad, too!) and your skirt will cooperate as you move. 

Beyond that, make sure that your outfit choice is both comfortable and something you feel confident in. Feeling good about what you are wearing makes a big difference in how you carry yourself throughout the shoot. SSP likes the more relaxed and natural poses, and feeling good helps convey that in the photos!

Have everyone try their outfits on a week in advance!! It’s really tempting to buy up the cute fall clothes during the Back to School and Labor Day sales, but kids grow like weeds! If your session later in October or November, your kids might outgrow their outfits. Likewise, if you bought them a size too big hoping they’ll grow into it, sometimes they don’t! Trying them on a week ahead of time ensures that you aren’t scrambling the day of to find new outfits. 

Bring backups! Whether it’s spit up, coffee, snacks, or mud, having a back up top for everyone is key! Fall shoots are packed in tight, and it’s harder to reschedule if someone has a wardrobe malfunction. Come prepared to re-robe if a wardrobe malfunction occurs!

Practice with your kids ahead of time! If doing a photo session like this is a first for your kids or if they tend to resist posing and cheesing for the camera, practice! Get your phone or camera out, practice smiling, practice sitting with good posture, practice cheek kisses, etc. Practice may not make perfect, but it certainly helps the session be a success!

Lastly, plan something fun to do after your session! Everyone will look amazing - don’t waste it! Go out to eat somewhere special or go on a fun family outing. You’ve already gotten everyone up, dressed, and out the door, so you might as well!

-- Emma