It’s October, which means it is busy season here in Colorado. October is by far the most popular month to schedule fall family pictures. So I put together these five tips to help you prepare for your upcoming family pictures session. Believe me, I understand just how stressful it can be to coordinate outfits for the family and make sure you get out the door on time. So here are my top 5 Tips for Fun Fall Family Pictures this year:
- Choose Your Outfits: Start with the basics. Choose rich and complimentary colors, and don’t be afraid to mix patterns and solids (see cute family below). Dark and neutral colors photograph the best. But don’t expect everyone in the family to wear the same shade of navy blue. Throw on a cardigan or vest. Add your favorite scarf or a cute hat for the kids. Also make sure your kiddos are going to be comfortable, and avoid any characters or logos on their clothes and shoes.
- Plan Ahead: Life happens. Your spouse forgot to get gas in the car. The dog has to go out one more time. Baby has a blowout in her diaper. Allow yourself enough time to get ready, and plan on arriving to your session 10-15 minutes early, so you don’t feel rushed. Running late does not put anyone in a good mood, and you don’t want to feel stressed before you even arrive. Make sure you allow enough extra driving time for traffic and parking. Schedules are hectic these days, but if possible, block off the entire morning or afternoon of your session on the family calendar. Then plan to go out for a treat (insert bribery here) after pictures .
- Lower Your Expectations: Cloudy days make for great natural light, and there’s no such thing as a perfect hair day! That bruise on your son’s forehead from running into the door last night? That’s childhood. You will always remember your little boy covered in bumps and bruises and scrapes from playing outside all day. You scheduled your family pictures, you picked out the outfits, and you showed up to the session. Win! Now leave the rest of the details up to your photographer and just have fun with your family!
- Play a Game: If you have older kids, make up a secret code word that makes everyone laugh. Tell your younger kids that you are going to play hide and seek, or see who can collect the most leaves. The fun family below brought along their plastic bug box. Throughout the session, we filled it with leaves and sticks. We even caught a pet ladybug that we affectionately named “Lady.” The ladybug didn’t make it into any of the family pictures, but I did have her hanging from my shoulder during a couple of these shots. Climb trees, throw rocks into the river, and don’t be afraid to start a tickle fight. Some of the best moments happen when no one is looking at the camera.
- Don’t Force It: Remember tip #3? Your daughter loves to pose for the camera at home, but on the day of the session she is not in the mood. Every person in the family does not need to be in every single picture. Take this as an opportunity to get some pictures of you and your spouse alone. Guaranteed when you ask the kids not to be in the picture with you, they will come running! And please don’t tell your kids to look at the camera and say “cheese” (see tip #4). Trust in your photographer’s process. Sometimes its best for you as the parent to take a step back and let your kids be kids. Let her twirl in a field of tall grass until she’s dizzy. The natural smiles will come…
5 Tips for Fun Fall Family Pictures
Are you ready to schedule your next family pictures session after reading these 5 Tips for Fun Fall Family Pictures? Colorado Lifestyle Photography is located in Erie, and serves the entire Front Range, including Boulder, Louisville, Broomfield, Lafayette, Westminster, and Longmont. Please contact me today to schedule your fall family pictures in Colorado.
