One of our readers’ favorite topics is Fall Family Photo Tips!  When I think of Fall, I envision crunchy yellow and red leaves, warm cups of apple cider, cinnamon sticks and bonfires with friends. For the kids, the holidays are edging closer at an agonizingly slow pace, but Halloween treats help. Now that the first hint of chill is in the air, I thought I’d share some fun Fall family photo tips and moments for making the most of capturing the season.

Leaves, leaves, leaves. This is probably an obvious choice, but even if you don’t live in an area where trees put on a dramatic display of burning reds, golds and oranges, you can still have fun with falling leaves–even those crinkly brown ones!

• Leave the kids with dad for 30 minutes and take a silent walk–looking for light among the changing leaves.

• Older kids are never to old to throw leaves up in the air–as Blaze clearly demonstrates!

• Rake up a huge leaf pile and set your camera to Continuous Shooting mode as your children throw them high!

Jess Robertson caught this sweetie in a recent shoot! Beautiful California sunlight, and GREAT job blasting the background Jess!

On the other side of the country, Laura Swift, our Virginia CONFIDENCE Teacher, captured another sweet red-head!  Look at the sheer joy that throwing leaves brings!  I love the blur that helps us feel the motion of her throwing those leaves!

• Plop your baby in the leaf pile and compose the shot so all you see are the texture of leaves surrounding his face, or have him sit up on top of the pile.
• If you live in a coastal area without a lot of deciduous trees, look for tall grasses that are beginning to turn golden. One of my favorite fall family photo tips is to use the late afternoon sun shining through the grasses to give you a nice autumnal, golden glow.

Apples of your eye. Fall is the season of apples, and apple stands pop up all over the country selling hundreds of yummy varieties. Think bushel baskets, apple barns, even apple orchards if you have one nearby.  Fall family photo tips aren’t complete without apples!

While I was in NYC at Photo Plus Expo, Pascaline was home assisting a local photographer on a photo shoot at an apple orchard.  Proud mama here–I’ve got to share one of her favorites (and mine!).  This is straight out of the camera with her Sony DSLR camera.

Head to the midwest where Tina Erdmann, our Wisconsin CONFIDENCE Teacher, did a DARLING family photo shoot at an apple orchard.  The kids couldn’t resist climbing the apple trees!  Could you?!  🙂

Take a Fall Drive!  Pile the kids in the car with cozy music and take a Fall Drive to see the changing leaves.  Find a quiet country road.  I LOVE this photo that Nicole, our North Dakota CONFIDENCE Teacher, captured!

Visit the local farmer’s market. Pumpkins aren’t the only thing going – shop your local farmer’s market for stalks of wheat, Indian corn and cool gourds. All of those things make fun seasonal props.

Bake a pie. Have your child help you bake an apple pie or tartlets. Capture her helping with the crust or dressed in an apron with bowls of chopped apples. After it’s baked, set her up with a warm slice topped with vanilla ice cream and capture that satisfied smile!

Find a Fall festival. Think cotton candy machines, candied apples, carnival rides and video gaming booths with headsets from the best gaming headset review. Even bobbing for apples!

Campfires and roasted marshmallows. There’s nothing like a blazing campfire on a cool November night. Get it going before dusk and grab shots of your children roasting marshmallows as the late afternoon sun goes down. Don’t forget cups of hot cocoa with marshmallows on top.

Warm up the wardrobe. Fall family photo tips involve wardrobe too!  Look your coziest!  Bright reds give a nice pop against those warm autumn colors. But fleecy red plaids and warm-toned corduroys also look good against Fall scenery. I especially love my canary yellow cords!  Think about fun scarves and interesting hats. For girls, bring out the boots, denim and old-fashioned capelets. Consider leather bomber jackets and flat caps.

Speaking of wardrobe, ever wonder what to wear for photos?  Check out my post on What to Wear for Fall Photos! where my Stylist (yes, Stylist–you’ll hear the story :)) offers up some fun, easy tips for how to put your Fall Family Portrait outfits together!

Happy Fall shooting!  And be sure to share on my Facebook page!  I LOVE to see what our moms capture!

Are you a fan of Live with Kelly and Michael Show?  If yes, watch my fun “Back to School” photo tip segment here!

xo,

m

Get Organized and CONFIDENCE this Fall! 

Our 2-Day CONFIDENCE Workshop and Custom Photo Organization w/ Brian are BACK THIS FALL!

Save