I'm so happy you're here! You've booked your autumn family photos, you're looking forward to memories surrounded by breathtaking warm foliage colours and yet you're in panic mode. WHAT SHOULD WE WEAR?? Fear no more, I'll help you navigate the options and even point you to my favourite shops. Styling your family session for autumn can be a fun and exciting process, and there are many ways you can go about it. Here are my top tips to help you answer any questions that you may have on what to wear to your autumn family portrait session for timeless family portraits:

1. Take inspiration from the location.

Consider the location where you will be taking your photos and choose outfits that will complement the surroundings. Choose a colour palette that reflects the colours of autumn, such as warm yellows, oranges, reds, and browns. You can also include some cooler tones like blues and greens to add depth to your colour scheme.

Let's take Raeburn Orchard as a location example for your family photoshoot. We can see from the image below that the warm colours like muted yellows, oranges and reds go really well in this location. For contrast, a gorgeous muted blue looks great as well. Choose your favourite one or two colours from the above palette and pair them with lots of neutrals.

The trick is to not use all of these colours in your styling, strong colours like these should be used sparingly. With so many colours already present in the location, adding too many colours to your clothes can quickly become messy.

My friend Nikki styled her session beautifully. She wore a deep red dress that compliments the location but she kept her partner's and her son's clothes neutral. This is a great example of how to incorporate colours in your portraits without they taking the attention away from your family.

2. Wear something that fits well.

Dressing yourself and your children in properly fitting clothing is important for achieving a polished and timeless look in your family portraits. It will help you feel confident, look great in the photos, and ensure that the photographer can capture beautiful images of your family. Don't dress your kids in outfits that will fit them next year.

3. For a classic/ timeless feel, choose muted tones over bold colours

Choosing muted colours for your family portrait session can help create a timeless and classic look that will stand the test of time. Muted colours are more subtle and can help keep the focus on your family compared to bright and bold colours that can be distracting in a portrait. You can literally pick outfits in any of the colours below and they will look amazing together in your portraits.

Muted colours also coordinates well with different skin tones and works well with different location. Because muted colors are more subtle, they are easier to mix and match with other clothing items. This gives you more flexibility when coordinating outfits for your family portrait session.

Avoid neon or bright colours like hot pink, bright oranges, reds (any bright colours really!). These colours can overpower the portraits. We want to focus of your family portraits to be your family not your outfits.

4. For mums - I recommend full length/ maxi dresses

Wearing a full-length dress for your photoshoot can create a timeless and elegant look. Long dresses elongate your body, hide imperfections and add a beautiful flow and movement to your photos. They can be flattering on different body types, and create a cohesive look with your family.

If you are conscious of your arms, wear dresses with sleeves that at least come to your elbow.  Our arms take up more skin area than our face, so wearing outfits with sleeves ensure the attention stays on your face and not your arms.

Not into maxi dresses? No problems, not everyone likes flowy long dresses. A mini dress with a pair of boots can look incredible!

Check out my Pinterest board for all my favourite outfits that are currently available to purchase for your outdoor family portraits.

5. Embrace the Layers

When it comes to autumn days, temperatures can be unpredictable! Layering is the answer when you're not sure how the weather will turn out on the day of your portrait session. Another advantage is that textured layers will also add interest and depth to your portraits. Think wool cardigans, classic linen shirts, scarfs and beanies.

6. When in doubt choose neutral colours.

Neutral colours can also be referred to as earth tones. They go with almost anything, and I suggest using a lot of neutrals, and only a small amount of more bold colors. The brighter the colour, the less there should be. Neutrals are things like off-white, gray, cream, taupe, etc. Here's a bunch of neutrals/earth tones to inspire you! You can even create outfits using only neutrals and it looks really good. But adding in some color is great, too!

7. Stay away from pure whites or jet blacks.

These colours are very popular with some photographers but for softer aesthetic, I stay clear of them. Pure whites/ solid blacks can be too harsh and unflattering, wash out your skin tones in photos and limit your options for coordinating with other colours. Instead, I would recommend off-whites, light browns or greys.

8. Don't forget the shoes.

You can put the most adorable outfit on the kids but if you don’t give consideration to their shoes and throw their everyday sneakers on(which didn’t get cleaned after a trip to the river last weekend) as you leave home, can really spoil the look of your family portraits. Shoes are often ignored when styling family sessions but shoes that do not go with the overall aesthetics of your family portraits can really stand out in the final images. I recommend tan coloured classic styled shoes for everyone. They go well with almost all colours and never go out of style!

Please check the link below for my favourite stores

FAVOURITE STORES FOR STYLING YOUR WARDROBE FOR A FAMILY PORTRAIT SESSION

I hope this tips were helpful. Please let me know if these tips were helpful in deciding what to wear to your autumn family portrait session.

If you're craving Autumn Family Photos in Perth, you can check out everything about SSP's Family Autumn Sessions