Photo sessions in the Fall are quite possibly my favorites. Here in Maryland at least, the season of Autumn can carry with it any temperature between 40 and 80 degrees and can be a complete lush greenery background or the most vibrant and bold of colors. And, all of that allows a lot of flexibility for outfit options for your fall family photo session. Here are my tips for planning outfits for your fall family photo sessions:

1. Avoid too matchy-matchy

If everyone shows up in the same color shirt and same color pants (for instance) or something else that is really matchy-matchy, the photos will seem less timeless and more dated. It also keeps true personalities from shining through.

2. Instead, complement one another

If you still want blue to be a theme in your outfits for fall family photo sessions, just space it out in different items — maybe Mom wears a blue scarf and Dad has blue jeans and Daughter has a blue dress or blue shoes and Son has a blue shirt. I also love finding colors that go great together — like maroon and mustard yellow or gray and blue, etc — and use those colors in the outfit planning.

3. Consider different shades, too

Pops of color are great for photo sessions, but you might want to consider different shades of a color family — lavender and plum if you’re going with purples. And spreading those colors out throughout all of the family’s or group’s outfits will be a really subtle way to keep it cohesive, too.

4. Keep in mind the background and location

This one is an important one to keep in mind when planning outfits for family photos. I don’t want you to be lost in your backdrop! If we’re doing mostly greenery and you show up wearing emerald, you may not stand out.

5. What is really “you”?

One of my favorite stories is a family session where the young daughter showed up in a hot dog costume. Seriously. Mom was apologetic and I think a bit disappointed at first but she embraced it and now she has hysterical photos of what her daughter was really into at the time. (And the little girl agreed to change halfway through, too!) If you usually wear your hair up, don’t feel like you have to wear your hair down. And if you usually wear pants, you don’t have to wear a dress. If you love leopard print, wear it, girl! Being true to you is most important!

At the end of the day, it’s your photo session and I want you to do what feels best and what you want. These are merely guides and suggestions — there is no wrong or right answer. I can’t wait to capture your memories!