How to Design Your Fall Family Photo Session | Fall Family Photos in Colorado

Can you feel it?

The crisp Autumn breeze setting in. The smell of cozy fireplaces lighting around the neighborhood. The pumpkins in front of the grocery stores — not to mention the pumpkin spice craze of the season!

The golden leaves are peeking through — which means it’s Fall Family Photo time!

And the number one time to get an update family photo for your Holiday cards — I know, no one is ever quite ready for that, but ready or not. So if you haven’t already, now is the time to set up your photo session. But here’s something I hear all the time…

“I want to do family photos. The Fall colors are pretty, but every year, I feel like we get the SAME photo.”

Ready to change it up? I hear you. Here are a few tips for making your Fall Family Photos more fun and different this year.

How to Design Your Fall Family Photo Session

Choosing You Location

Listen, everyone and their mother are deciding to do photos with the peek Fall foliage up in the mountains at the same parks. My point… everyone else is doing that. Your family photos should represent you and your family, your personality, the fun you have together — not just a postcard backdrop. Plus, the majority of parks around Colorado charge a photography permit fee that takes up to 2 weeks. Avoid that and make it yours. I have a few of my favorite Fall spots because they are small, tucked away but gorgeous locations so you’re not fighting the crowds. It’s nice to have some privacy, especially with little ones, so you can enjoy your time together and get the best pictures!

Or, skip the Fall colors altogether and opt for an in-home lifestyle session! These are my absolutely FAVORITE to do with clients because we get to capture a little bit of the day-in-the-life together snuggled up in their home, being them and having fun. If you’ve never done this before, I highly recommend it! (And don’t worry, I walk you through everything for ideas for how to do this.)

Photoshoot Timing

We are entering peak season for the leaves to change before the snow comes! So don’t wait to book your session. For any photographer this time of year, weekends will always book up the quickest and again, that’s when most people are also taking pictures. If possible, think about a weekday evening you can get your family together for your photo session. Weekdays will be less busy anywhere you go, and usually offer more flexibility for booking your session sooner.

We’ve all heard about the Golden hour prime-time lighting. I definitely recommend choosing an evening time before sunset — again why weekday evenings are great. If evenings are not possible or are booked, set your session for early in the morning. Yes, you’ll have to get up earlier to get everyone ready, but the soft morning sun will always be better for photos instead of doing them around noon when the sun is harsh and casting shadows.

Deciding on Outfits

This is usually one of the scariest things about booking a photoshoot — figuring out what to wear, especially when you have to choose your outfit as well as the rest of your family. Here are my best tips for you. To keep it simple, choose just one outfit for everyone. If you’re doing your session outdoors with the Fall colors, it fits the scenery better if you choose fall colors and attire. For example, jeans and a long sleeve blouse or light sweater. Think fall colors, such as burgundy, creams, darker greens, burnt orange, etc. Flannels can work as they are very fitting for fall, but make sure it’s not too busy. For families, too many different patterns can be distracting and take away from the focus on you. And finally, matching is out.

My best recommendation is choosing a color pallet to choose outfits to. Choose one main color (like one of the above mentioned Fall colors, then a neutral color or two to pair. For example, you might choose jeans with a dark orange and cream colors. Maybe someone wears a cream shirt with an orange scarf, while someone else wears an orange flannel, etc. (Pinterest is a huge help with this!)

Bonus Tip: If you have little ones, it’s always inevitable that kiddos may get dirty or spill something on their clothes last minute. Just to be safe, you might throw in an extra outfit just in case!

Props and Activities

If you’re doing an outdoor session with the Fall colors, I tend to like simple and candid best. You might bring a blanket with you to your session so you can sit on the ground together as a family or cuddle up with the blanket around you all for a few photos. But other than that, keep it simple. I like to capture both the traditional, everyone smiling and looking at the camera photos, as well as lots of candids of you and your family being and playing together.

If you’re doing an in-home lifestyle session, I actually do recommend more props and activities to be the focus of your photos. Think about the activities and hobbies you like to do with each other or as a family. What are the things that make your family YOU? Come up with 2-4 different activities that we can plan to shoot photos of you enjoying those things together. This is a great way to capture your family as a moment in time — the ages of your kiddos, the activities and interests you share or do together, each of your personalities, and remembering your smiles, joy, and fun together. Maybe you enjoy a weekly game or movie night. Maybe there’s certain sports or evening bike rides you enjoy. Maybe you game together or like to bake. Or maybe there’s special toys or stuffed animals that go everywhere with your child right now. Those things are perfect to incorporate into your pictures.

Before Your Photo Session

It can be really easy to feel stressed when you’re preparing for any photoshoot. Remember this and relax. The whole point to doing a family photography session is so that you can have great pictures and memories to remember and cherish for years to come, not to mention display in your home, office, photobooks, gift to family members, or share on holiday cards. BUT, you don’t want to look at your photos and think about how stressed you were, how your child threw a fit, or how you fought the whole time (and believe me, I’ve seen this before). Instead, this is your time to enjoy with your family. Have FUN! And look back on your photos and remember the love and joy you feel being with your family. So, choose the outfits, gather the props, but also get a good night’s sleep, leave extra early, and just breathe and enjoy.

After Your Photo Session

Just like arriving extra early to your photo session to avoid the stress, I encourage you to set aside time after your photoshoot to continue enjoying with your family. Maybe the shoot takes a little longer than planned. Maybe you celebrate and go out to dinner or ice cream afterwards. Take the time you can to just enjoy and be with your family. This will make your experience even sweeter.

Plus, when you get your photos back, don’t forget… You have bragging rights! Share your photos and rave gratitude about your little family. Order some new prints or canvases for your home. Design your holiday cards and get a head start. Or maybe you set aside an evening with your family to put a photo album or photobook together with your favorite photos and memories from this year. Don't just let your pictures sit on your hard drive. Enjoy them!

I hope this helps you ease into your experience and have fun with your family this time of year! Yes, the picturesque landscapes of Colorado during the fall season are beautiful, but the experience you get to have with your family capturing. your memories and smiles is priceless.