What to Wear for Family Photos

In the Albuquerque Metro Area and all along the Rio Grande River Valley, from about September to November, the Bosque along the Rio Grande becomes one of the most popular places to take family portraits. With brilliant blue skies, gorgeous yellow foliage, and skies full of migrating sand-hill cranes, it’s no wonder that the Bosque is so popular.

If you are in the Albuquerque area and are planning a family photoshoot at the Bosque, you may be wondering, “what should we wear?”

Well, never fear. I put together this helpful guide to ensure you are dressed for fall portrait success.

Step One: Choosing a Color Palette

I find it most helpful to begin with a color palette you like and then build your wardrobe selections around that. I recommend considering a palette that will go well with your home decor so that your prints and wall art don’t look out of place, as well as colors that compliment your skin tone and match your personal style.

You can also use free websites like Coolers.co to generate and build color palettes to save for later. You can also track the latest color trends via Pantone if you want to be on the cutting edge of fashion.

Pro Tip: If choosing a color palette from scratch seems overwhelming, choose an outfit that you love and build a color palette around that.

Pro Tip# 2: Use PINTEREST. If you’re not sure where to begin, try searching “what to wear for family photos” in the Pinterest Search bar, and you will find countless ideas and shopping guides.

Outfit planning in a snap.

Use the Pinterest search bar to your advantage.

Step Two: Selecting Outfits

Now that you’ve chosen a color palette, it’s time to select outfits!
One amazing and totally free resource to help with this process is, yet again, Pinterest. Utilize the search bar to search your chosen colors and desired outfits. For example, if you have chosen a palette of neutrals with jewel tones, search “neutral and jewel tone outfits” you can get even more specific if needed and search things like “neutral and jewel tone outfits for kids,” or, “jewel tone skirts.” The best part is that many of the results will have shopping links where you can purchase your finds quickly and easily.

Pro Tip: Use Amazon to save time and money! Simple search, “fall family photo outfits” in the Amazon search bar and you’ll be amazed at all the styles and colors of super cute clothes for the entire family.

Step Three: Accessorizing

Now that you’ve got the outfits selected, it’s time to add a few finishing touches.
Add jewelry, belts, scarves, hats, to complete your look and add splashes of color where needed and give your final look a bit of polish.

Pro Tip: Don’t forget about shoes! You’ll want to make sure that everyone’s shoes fit in well with the outfits you’ve selected. Worn out sneakers or shoes that don’t match the color scheme or overall feel will stick out like a sore thumb. For example, if everyone is wearing brown boots and one person is wearing white sneakers, the white sneakers will stand out in the worst way. Try to make footwear cohesive if you can- the end result will be worth it!

Now that you’ve built your wardrobe, it’s time for photos!

If you’re in the market for a family or children’s photographer in the Belen, Los Lunas, and Albuquerque Metro Areas, we hope you’ll consider Cheyenne Chavez Photography for the job!

Cheyenne Chavez Photography specializes in timeless, emotive portraits for children, families, pets, high school seniors and more.