What to Wear for Fall Family Photos in Arizona

Wardrobe advice from a Phoenix family photographer.

If you've ever stood in front of your closet the night before an important event, holding up the same three things and wondering whether any of it actually goes together, you're in good company. "What should we wear?" is the first question I get asked before nearly every photo session, and it's usually the one that's kept families from booking in the first place.

Fall makes it a little trickier in the Southwest. Back East, fall photos mean sweaters and scarves and a pile of red leaves. In Arizona, fall can mean an 88-degree afternoon in the Valley or a 50-degree morning under golden aspens up north, sometimes the same day. So the advice you find on Pinterest, most of it written for Vermont, doesn't quite fit. Here's what does.

Start with a palette, not an outfit

The families whose photos look effortless never match. Instead, they coordinated. Pick three or four colors that sit well together, then let each person wear some combination of them.

The easiest way to do this is to start with one outfit, usually the one you're most excited about (often Mom's outfit, but not always), and build everyone else’s around it. If her dress is a deep rust, the kids might wear cream, olive, and denim, and Dad can wear a soft blue or warm gray. No one is dressed alike, but the whole picture holds together.

Colors that work in Arizona's fall light

Our fall light is warm and low, especially in the hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset, and it flatters earthy tones. For sessions in the desert or around the Valley, think:

•       Cream, oatmeal, and soft whites (not bright, optical white, which glows in direct light)

•       Rust, terracotta, and camel

•       Olive and sage

•       Denim and dusty blue

•       Mustard or burgundy as an accent, not head to toe

If we're heading north to photograph in the aspens of Flagstaff or along Oak Creek, the background is already gold and orange, so let it do that work. Deep blues, forest green, cream, and burgundy stand out beautifully against yellow leaves. A family dressed head to toe in mustard will disappear into the background.

Choose texture over pattern

Busy patterns, large plaids (unless you’re heralding your Scottish or Irish heritage), and logos pull the eye away from faces, which is the last place you want the eye to leave. Texture gives you the same visual interest without the distraction: a chunky knit, linen, suede, corduroy, a ribbed sweater, a dress with some movement to it. A small, quiet pattern on one person can work, but let it be the exception.

Dress for the actual temperature

This is the part the Pinterest boards leave out. A Valley session in mid-October can still start in the upper 80s, and nobody looks relaxed while sweating through a wool sweater. November maybe, but not in October. Lighter fabrics with depth work better in October: linen, cotton knits, a lightweight cardigan, a denim or suede jacket you can take off after a few frames. Layers give us two looks from one outfit and keep everyone comfortable.

Up north, the opposite is true. Mornings in the high country can be cold, so plan real layers for the kids and bring something warm for between shots. Shivering children have opinions, and they share them.

Fit matters more than price

You don't need new clothes. You need clothes that fit the person wearing them today. Shirts that pull at the buttons, pants that are a little short, a dress that needs adjusting every few minutes: those things show up in photographs more than any label does. For most adults, a three-quarter sleeve is flattering, and a fitted top balances a flowing skirt or wide pants.

Don't forget the shoes

I'll crop in close for plenty of images, but the full-length ones are often the ones that end up on the wall, and shoes are part of them. Boots and booties, clean leather sneakers, or simple flats all work. Bright athletic shoes rarely do. Little kids can go barefoot on grass, which they often prefer anyway.

A word for the dads

Dads tend to get dressed last, five minutes before it’s time to leave, in whatever is clean. A well-fitting button-down or henley in one of the palette colors, with the sleeves rolled once, makes a bigger difference than anything else in the photo.

And for the kids

Let them try everything on a few days or even the week before, not the morning of (so there’s time to change the plan if need be). A sweater that itches or shoes that pinch will show on their faces. If your youngest has a favorite something, like the cowboy boots or the dinosaur hat, bring it. We'll make a few frames with it along with the classic ones.

You don't have to figure this out alone

Every portrait session I photograph includes an in-home consultation, and wardrobe is a big part of it. We go through your closet together, pull the pieces that work, and plan what everyone will wear, so the night before your session is just a regular night. Professional hair and makeup are part of every session too, so you can arrive feeling put together instead of rushed (for families or groups, hair and makeup is for final touches, not a full beauty session—so come prepared, but we’ll cover all that in the consultation).

If the clothing question has been the thing keeping you from booking, that's exactly what I'm here to take off your plate.

Fall is short in Arizona, and the light is at its best right now. Call or text me at (480) 257-6757, and let's start planning.

Getting ready for back-to-school or senior portraits instead? Read 5 Photo-Ready Outfit Tips for Back-to-School Portraits.