26 Aug What to Wear for Fall Family Photos in Southern California
Planning your fall family photo session is exciting until you open the closet and start wondering, what should everyone wear for fall family photos?
For fall family photos in Southern California, choose coordinating colors rather than matching outfits. Warm neutrals, cream, beige, camel, brown, rust, olive green, muted blue, burgundy, and soft earthy tones photograph beautifully during the fall season. Start with one person’s outfit, usually mom’s, and build the rest of the family’s clothing around two or three complementary colors.
The most important thing is that your family looks connected without everyone looking identical.
As a Southern California family photographer with a portrait studio in Monrovia, I help families plan both their location and wardrobe before their session. Here is my guide to choosing outfits that photograph beautifully while still feeling comfortable and true to your family.
What Colors Are Best for Fall Family Photos?
Southern California fall looks a little different from fall in other parts of the country.
We may not always have forests filled with orange leaves, but we do have beautiful golden light, warm landscapes, greenery, mountains, architecture, and outdoor locations that work perfectly with an autumn inspired color palette.
Some of my favorite colors for fall family photos include:
Cream and ivory
Beige and camel
Warm brown
Olive and sage green
Rust and terracotta
Muted mustard
Burgundy and wine
Dusty or muted blue
Charcoal
Soft black
You do not need to use every color.
Instead, select two or three primary colors and incorporate different shades throughout your family’s outfits.
For example, mom could wear a cream dress, dad could wear camel pants with an olive shirt, and the children could wear combinations of cream, brown, olive, and subtle patterns that bring those colors together.
The result feels coordinated without looking overly planned.
Coordinate Your Family Outfits Instead of Matching
One of the biggest mistakes families make when planning family photo outfits is assuming everyone needs to match.
You do not need five people wearing white shirts and jeans.
Instead, think about your family’s clothing as one complete collection.
If everyone’s outfits were laid next to each other on a bed, would the colors and styles look like they belong together?
That is the goal.
Choose a consistent color palette and then allow each person’s individual outfit to have some personality.
This also gives your photographs more visual depth.
When everyone wears exactly the same color, individual family members can start blending together in group portraits. Different shades, textures, and layers help visually separate everyone while still creating a cohesive photograph.
Start With Mom’s Outfit
If choosing clothing for the entire family feels overwhelming, start with one outfit.
In many families, I recommend starting with mom.
Choose something that makes you feel comfortable and confident first, and then coordinate everyone else around you.
A long or midi dress can photograph beautifully because it adds movement and shape. A fitted dress can create a more modern look, while something with a little flow can create softer, more romantic family portraits.
If dresses are not your style, you absolutely do not have to wear one.
A beautiful blouse, sweater, trousers, or elevated casual outfit can work just as well.
The most important consideration is whether you feel like yourself when you put it on.
Once mom’s outfit is selected, choosing clothing for everyone else becomes much easier.
What Should Dad Wear for Fall Family Photos?
Dad’s outfit should complement the family without competing for attention.
Some easy options include neutral or earth toned pants paired with a textured button down, polo, sweater, or simple shirt.
Khaki, camel, brown, charcoal, navy, and darker neutral pants tend to photograph well.
For tops, consider cream, muted green, blue, brown, beige, or another color already present in your family’s palette.
Try to avoid large logos, bold graphics, athletic clothing, and extremely bright colors unless they intentionally fit the style of the session.
A simple, well fitted outfit usually photographs better than something overly complicated.
What Should Kids Wear for Fall Family Pictures?
Comfort is especially important for children.
If your child feels uncomfortable, itchy, restricted, or worried about getting an outfit dirty, it can affect how they behave during the session.
Choose clothing that allows them to sit, walk, cuddle, and play.
Girls might wear a dress, skirt, romper, sweater, or textured neutral outfit.
Boys might wear chinos, neutral pants, a button down shirt, sweater, polo, or layered outfit.
You can introduce a subtle pattern through one child’s outfit as long as it complements the rest of the family.
For example, a small floral print incorporating cream, rust, and olive can help tie together several solid colored outfits.
The key word is subtle.
We want to notice your child’s expression before we notice their clothing.
Use Texture to Make Fall Family Outfits More Interesting
Texture is one of the easiest ways to make neutral outfits photograph beautifully.
Consider fabrics such as knits, linen, denim, corduroy, suede, lace, or soft woven materials.
If several family members are wearing similar colors, texture keeps the outfits from looking flat.
For example, a cream knit sweater looks visually different from a cream cotton dress even though both pieces are technically the same color.
This creates interest without introducing another color or busy pattern.
Fall is a particularly good season for incorporating texture because sweaters, jackets, boots, and layered fabrics naturally fit the season.
Just remember that this is Southern California.
If your session takes place on a warm October afternoon, you probably do not want everyone dressed as though you are spending Thanksgiving in the mountains.
Choose layers that make sense for the actual weather.
Should You Wear Patterns for Family Photos?
Patterns are absolutely okay when used intentionally.
The easiest approach is to select one subtle patterned outfit and use colors from that pattern throughout everyone else’s clothing.
For example, if your daughter’s dress has small flowers in cream, brown, rust, and sage, those colors can become the palette for the entire family.
What I generally recommend avoiding is putting multiple family members in competing patterns.
If dad is wearing plaid, one child has stripes, another child has a large floral pattern, and mom has a printed dress, the photograph can become visually overwhelming.
When in doubt, keep most outfits solid and use patterns sparingly.
Colors to Avoid for Fall Family Photos
There are very few absolute rules in photography, but some colors and clothing choices can be more difficult to photograph.
Be careful with extremely bright neon colors because they can draw attention away from faces and sometimes reflect color onto skin.
Large logos and graphic designs can also become distracting.
I also recommend being cautious about having every family member wear solid black.
Black can look elegant, especially for a studio family session, but outdoors it may create a heavier look than the warm and natural feeling many families want from fall portraits.
Pure bright white can sometimes feel harsh depending on the location and lighting. Cream, ivory, and softer whites often blend more naturally with fall colors.
Should Everyone Wear Jeans for Family Photos?
Jeans can absolutely work for family photographs, especially if your family has a more casual style.
The important thing is to avoid making denim the uniform.
Instead of everyone wearing blue jeans, consider mixing denim with khaki, brown, cream, olive, or another neutral.
If dad wears jeans, mom might wear a dress while one child wears khaki pants and another wears a skirt or romper.
This gives your photographs more dimension while keeping the overall look relaxed.
What Shoes Should You Wear for Fall Family Photos?
Shoes are easy to forget, but they will appear in many of your full length photographs.
Choose shoes that complement the level of formality of your outfits.
Boots, loafers, flats, neutral sneakers, dress shoes, and simple sandals can all work depending on your family’s style and the location.
Avoid putting together beautiful neutral outfits and then discovering on the day of your session that someone’s only option is a pair of bright athletic shoes.
For outdoor family photography, comfort also matters.
If we are walking through grass or uneven terrain, extremely high heels may not be practical. You can always bring comfortable shoes for walking and change when we arrive at the photography spot.
How Should You Dress for a Southern California Fall Photo Session?
One of the biggest differences between planning fall family photos in Southern California and other parts of the country is the weather.
September, October, and even November can still be warm.
Instead of dressing entirely based on the word “fall,” consider the actual location and forecast for your photography session.
You can create a fall look through color rather than heavy clothing.
A rust colored dress, camel pants, olive shirt, or cream blouse can immediately give your photographs an autumn feeling without requiring heavy sweaters and coats.
Layers can also work well because they give you flexibility.
A jacket or cardigan can be worn for some photographs and removed for others, giving your gallery additional variety.
What to Wear for Fall Family Photos at the Beach
If you are planning fall family photos at a Southern California beach, I recommend keeping your color palette softer.
Cream, beige, tan, muted blue, soft brown, sage, and dusty earth tones complement sand, ocean, and sunset light beautifully.
You do not necessarily need traditional orange and brown fall colors simply because your session is happening in October or November.
Your wardrobe should make sense with the environment.
Barefoot photographs can also create a relaxed look at the beach, particularly toward the end of the session.
What to Wear for Fall Family Photos in a Green or Natural Location
For parks, gardens, trails, and locations with a lot of greenery, warm neutrals can create beautiful contrast.
Cream, camel, rust, brown, beige, and muted blue can work especially well.
Olive and sage are still beautiful choices, but if the entire family wears green while surrounded by greenery, everyone may blend into the background.
This is where thinking about your location before purchasing outfits becomes important.
What to Wear for Studio Fall Family Photos
Your family photos do not have to take place outdoors simply because it is fall.
A studio family photography session can create clean, modern, timeless portraits without worrying about heat, wind, rain, or crowded seasonal photography locations.
For family portraits in my Monrovia studio, neutral palettes photograph beautifully.
Consider cream, beige, camel, brown, black, denim, and other muted colors.
You can also choose a more elevated wardrobe for studio portraits because we are not walking through grass or navigating an outdoor location.
The studio is particularly helpful for families with young children who may be more comfortable in a controlled environment.
Think About Where You Will Display Your Family Photos
One wardrobe consideration families often overlook is their home.
If your goal is to print and display your family photographs, think about where those portraits might eventually live.
Look at the colors in your living room, hallway, bedroom, or other space where you would like to hang your photographs.
If your home has a warm neutral design, family photographs featuring cream, brown, camel, and muted earth tones will likely fit beautifully.
If your home is modern with cooler tones, you may prefer cream, gray, muted blue, charcoal, and softer neutrals.
Your photographs should feel like they belong in your home because that is ultimately where they become part of your family’s story.
Bring an Extra Outfit for Young Children
If you have a baby or toddler, bringing an extra outfit is always a good idea.
Spills happen.
Diapers leak.
Kids find dirt approximately three seconds after arriving at a perfectly clean location.
Having a backup outfit in a similar color palette can save the session without creating unnecessary stress.
It is also helpful to bring wipes, water, and a simple snack that will not stain clothing or faces.
Do Not Forget About Hair, Makeup, and Accessories
Clothing is only one part of your overall look.
Keep jewelry and accessories intentional and relatively simple unless a statement piece is part of your personal style.
Make sure hair accessories, socks, belts, and other small details coordinate with the outfits.
For makeup, photography can soften what you see in person, so slightly more definition than your everyday makeup can photograph beautifully.
But you should still recognize yourself.
The goal is not to transform your family into different people.
It is to create an elevated version of how you already look and feel together.
Three Easy Fall Family Photo Color Palettes
If you are still unsure where to start, here are three combinations that work beautifully for Southern California family photos.
Warm and Earthy
Cream, camel, rust, brown, and olive.
This palette works beautifully with natural outdoor locations and warm sunset light.
Light and Timeless
Cream, beige, tan, muted blue, and soft brown.
This is a great option if you want family portraits that feel bright, relaxed, and timeless.
Rich and Elegant
Cream, burgundy, charcoal, camel, and deep olive.
This combination creates a slightly dressier fall look and can work beautifully for both outdoor and studio family photography.
What Should You Wear for Fall Family Photos? The Simple Answer
Choose two or three coordinating colors, start with one person’s outfit, and build the rest of the family’s wardrobe around it.
For Southern California fall family photos, warm neutrals and muted earth tones tend to photograph beautifully.
Think cream, beige, camel, brown, rust, olive, muted blue, burgundy, and charcoal.
Mix textures.
Use patterns sparingly.
Avoid large logos and distracting graphics.
Most importantly, make sure everyone feels comfortable.
Your clothing should complement your family portraits, not become the most important thing in them.
When Should You Book Fall Family Photos in Southern California?
If you want family photographs for holiday cards or gifts, do not wait until December to schedule your session.
October and November are popular months for family photography, and weekend dates can fill quickly.
Booking earlier also gives you time to choose your location, coordinate everyone’s clothing, and prepare without feeling rushed.
If you want a little more flexibility, September can be a great time to photograph your family before the busiest part of the fall portrait season begins.
Looking for a Family Photographer in Monrovia or Southern California?
If you are planning your fall family photos and feeling overwhelmed by what everyone should wear, you do not have to figure it out alone.
As a Monrovia family photographer, I photograph families in my Monrovia portrait studio and at outdoor locations throughout Monrovia, Pasadena, Arcadia, Sierra Madre, the San Gabriel Valley, and Southern California.
When you book your family photography session with Natasha Glenn Photography, I can help you think through the location, overall look, and clothing choices so everything works together beautifully.
Whether you want natural outdoor family photographs filled with connection or clean and modern studio family portraits, we can create a session that feels like your family.
Ready to plan your fall family photos?
Contact Natasha Glenn Photography to check fall family photography availability and tell me a little about your family. We can start planning a session and wardrobe that will give you photographs you will be excited to display in your home for years to come.
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