You might as well cooperate with the cold if you want to get your photos taken now, as there are definitely ways to still look great in winter clothing!   I used neutrals for the majority of both outfits, while adding a pop of the same teal color in each outfit.  Generally, I think the woman gets more attention in pictures than the guy because a lot of time the women are more fun to look at – they usually have more interesting clothing!  So to put the guy and girl on an even playing field,  I picked teal as the accent color here because it is a really nice and unexpected color for the man – much more interesting than a navy or beige sweater.  I also found the perfect complement in a fierce shoe for the woman.  The idea is to give the outfit a ”classic” feel overall, but make sure it is vibrant and fun by adding details like the teal colored shoes and sweater.  Also, make sure to dress it up a little; you don’t want to look boring and drab in matching jeans and white button down shirts.  It’s okay to show off a little personality in your outfits, just try to stay away from really busy patterns or writing on your clothing – you want the attention to stay on your face – just use the clothing as a complement!

She came prepared with some fabulous outfits and we braved the 30 degree temps.  Well, she braved them, I was able to dress warm ;-)  She rocked every outfit she put on and made me feel a bit sad in my trademark jeans, t-shirt and clunky boots.  Haha!   Someday, I need to hire her to take ME shopping!  She is definitely has an eye for fashion!

Lauren, here is a sneak peek of our morning.  I had a great time, thanks for the fun opportunity!  Enjoy your sneak peek!

To C & R…thank you so much for yesterday.  I had a blast!  Enjoy your sneak peek!

I know it can be overwhelming getting dressed day-to-day, let alone dressing for photographs that will be hanging above your mantel for years to come!  You certainly don’t want to look back at your photographs and shudder when you see your family wearing what was “trendy” in 2009 but looks silly ten years down the road.

Below is an outfit for each member in a family of four – a man, a woman, a little girl, and a little boy.  Keep in mind that the general idea behind how I chose these outfits is more important than the exact pieces.

Notice that the family members are all wearing classic pieces of clothing (corduroys, cardigan sweaters, classic jeans) and that I kept the family mostly in neutrals, choosing one color to stand out.  My jumping off point was the little girl’s shirt.  It has corals, oranges, and pinks in it.  I tried to find darker and lighter shades of that focal color for the other family members to wear, so that they blend nicely.    I pulled the orange into the little boy’s sweater, and the pink into the Mom’s sweater, keeping the Dad in shades of brown.

The most important thing is to take away from this outfit is to keep things coordinated, without getting too matchy.  Don’t be afraid to use color or patterns, just make sure when put together, they complement each other.  I hope this can help you put together an idea for your family’s fall photos! 

Now, onto the goods!  Here are some pics of Amber’s adorable family!

Amber…in ACTION!

I am also going to use these pictures as an example of what to wear for a family photo shoot. I found Tatum’s dress first and loved it. It had a lot of colors in it and was just so fun. I pulled colors out of that for our outfits. Don’t be afraid of color or patterns when choosing outfits for photos!

Presenting…our unofficial family photos!