Autumn is in the air – the weather and the leaves are changing. Your favorite coffee shops are serving up their seasonal beverages and it’s finally cool enough to start wearing your favorite comfy sweater.

Just like you, we’re excited about fall for all of those reasons; but more importantly, we’re excited because fall family portrait sessions are right around the corner! And we want you to have the best family photo session ever.

We’re sharing seven tips (and a few bonus tips) about location, wardrobe, and ensuring a great experience for everyone, so that you and your family are prepared to take beautiful fall photos. Enjoy!

How do we choose the location?

1. When picking your location, keep your family’s style and favorite places in mind. If your family tends to be more laid back, an urban or natural setting might be best. These places tend to have a lot of textural elements that make great backgrounds.

If your style is a bit more refined, you might choose a well-manicured garden or a building with plenty of architectural elements and character. We want your family to be as comfortable as possible in an environment authentic to you.

** BONUS TIP: The skies are AMAZING in October & November, so if you can brave a little bit cooler temps, we highly recommend a beach session!

What do we wear?

2. Wear clothes that you feel comfortable in and that fit well. We don’t want you to worry about what you’re wearing. We do want you to look and feel your best so that your confidence and personality shine through!

** BONUS TIP: Take some time to try your outfits on beforehand so that you know you’ll be ready at your session.

3. Don’t wear colors that compete or blend in with your surroundings. You’ll want to wear colors that contrast with the background. If you’ve chosen a natural setting with some greenery, you may want to shy away from wearing forest green. Likewise, burgundy or maroon may not be the best color if you’re shooting against a brick wall. Aim for colors that will complement you and your surroundings. As a rule of thumb, jewel tones, like Plum, Navy, Mustard Yellow, Burnt Orange, and Burgundy always look great in the fall, especially when you pair them with neutrals like black, grey, cream, and denim.

4. When planning your wardrobe, keep in mind any potential weather changes. It’s (almost) always sunny in Southern California, but sometimes the weather changes at a moment’s notice! Plan for other possible weather scenarios – too hot, windy, cold or rainy. Layering your wardrobe will give you plenty of options (and keep kiddos happy) if the weather changes suddenly.

5. Wear (or bring) the proper footwear. Since portrait sessions are typically shot outdoors, you may need to be prepared to do a little walking. Not to mention that the ground you may be walking on can be uneven or a dirt path.

Moms, it’s best to wear flats for walking in, but by all means, bring your heels! You may also want to rethink footwear for your little girls. Keep in mind that it may not be the easiest for them to walk along a dirt path in open sandals.

How do I make this a good experience for my family?

6. Prepare your kids ahead of time so they can enjoy the session too! Get them excited about getting their picture taken by making sure they’re comfortable in their outfits and shoes. And you don’t need to tell your kids to be good, cooperate, or to listen to Maggie. During a session with us kids don’t need to be on their best behavior (in fact we’d prefer that they aren’t), they just need to act naturally and Maggie will take care of the rest!

** BONUS TIP: For smaller kids, make sure they’ve had a nap and have full bellies are well-fed before arriving at the shoot. They’ll be more inclined to play and explore, not to mention they’ll be happy and their personalities will overflow.

We saved the BEST tip for last …

7. RELAX and trust your photographer. Maggie is there to tell your family’s story – it’s in the details and the little moments in between where memories are created. So don’t stress, just enjoy your time with your kids in front of her lens. Trust her to capture these timeless memories that will last a lifetime.

Fall Mini Sessions are scheduled Saturday, October 27 and Saturday, November 17 and they’re booking up quickly! CLICK HERE for more details!

If you’re looking for a more personalized session, we still have a few full session spots left. Contact us for info now!