Fall Family Photos That Feel Like Fall

Fall does half the work for you. The light is softer, the colors do the decorating, and nobody is squinting into July sun.

The trick is letting it.

Pick a place with something to do. An orchard. A corn maze. A park path covered in leaves. When a family is busy doing something, they stop thinking about the camera. The photo at the bottom of this post is from my own family's fall outing years ago. We were in a corn maze, not "taking photos," and you can tell.

Coordinate, don't match. Skip the identical sweaters. Pick a loose palette instead: navy, rust, cream, a little plaid. The season supplies the rest, and everyone still looks like themselves.

Dress in layers. Coats, scarves and boots look right in fall, and they give hands something to do. Fewer awkward arms.

Use the soft light. Fall light is lower and gentler for more of the day, and an overcast sky flatters faces. A gray afternoon is not a problem.

Stay flexible on the date. Peak color is short, and weather moves it around. A family that can shift by a few days gets better photos than one locked into a single Saturday.

Let the day be the day. Pick the apples. Walk the maze. Stop for cider. The best fall photos usually come from the in-between moments, not the "everybody look here" one.

Fall photos should feel like fall: a little cold, a little messy, a lot like your family.

Thinking about fall photos for your family? Let's talk.