Your session is on the calendar, and now you have to put clothes on everybody.
I still stand in my own closet for way too long before my family’s photos, so I really do get it. And every search you run turns up a hundred gorgeous photos with zero links to anything you can actually buy.
So I put together three combinations that are already coordinated, with links to every single piece. I wrote the long version of this a while back, the one that walks you through how to build a family palette from scratch. This is the opposite of that post. No theory, no lesson, just three sets of fall family photo outfits built for Raleigh in October and the weather we actually get here.
And you really don’t have to use them exactly as they are! Plenty of families take one look and swap a couple of pieces for things already hanging in the closet, and that works great. Use these as a jumping off point, or copy one straight down to the shoes. Both are completely fine with me.
Raleigh Weather in October
Before you buy a single thing, look at when your session actually is.
September and the first week or two of October here are frequently 75 degrees and up. Sandals and short sleeves aren’t a mistake on those dates, they’re correct! I would so much rather have you comfortable than layered into a sweater you’re sweating through by the second setup. Late October into November is a completely different season. It drops into the 50s, sometimes lower, and golden hour ends a lot earlier than you would think.
That’s why two of these three combinations are built for warm weather and one is built for cool. If your date lands somewhere in the middle, buy the layer you can take off. A cardigan or an open flannel basically gives you two versions of the same outfit, and it gives me something to work with when the weather does something unexpected, which it absolutely will.
Look one: Cream and Cocoa (warm weather)
Who it’s for. This one is for the family that wants the soft, timeless version. Cream, oatmeal, cocoa, warm brown. It’s the palette people save when they’re picturing something big framed over the bed or going up the staircase, and it’s what I get asked for most.
Why it works. Tonal palettes photograph so beautifully in warm early fall light. The colors stay quiet, so faces end up the brightest thing in the frame, which is exactly where I want your eye to go.
Young Boy: Shirt | Shorts | Shoes
Adult Male: Shirt | Pants | Shoes
Look two: Blue and Olive (warm weather)
Who it’s for. This one is for families who already lean blue and green, in the house and in the closet, and who want something that reads fall without going all the way to brown. I’ll admit my bias right up front. Blue and green is where I default too, and it has been my favorite since I wrote the original what to wear guide back in 2023.
Why it works. It holds contrast against a dry field, which can be an issue for more neutral tones. The floral on mom sets the palette and everybody else pulls one color out of it, so you coordinate without looking matchy. The sage and khaki are what keep it from tipping nautical, which is what happens when navy and white show up by themselves without a third color.
Easiest swap. If a floral isn’t you, a solid sage or dusty blue dress works. Just put a pattern somewhere else in the group so you’re not five solids standing in a row.
Young Boy #1: Shirt | Shorts | Shoes
Young Boy #2: Shirt | Shorts | Shoes
Adult Male: Shirt | Pants | Shoes
Look three: Rust and Navy (cool weather)
Who it’s for. This is the one for late October and November. Sweaters, corduroy, long sleeves, boots. If you’re booked into the back half of the season and you want the photos to actually look like the time of year they were taken, here you go.
Why it works. Pay attention to the texture here, because it’s honestly doing more work than the color is. Cable knit, velvet corduroy, eyelet, gingham. By November the light is low and flat, and texture is what keeps an outfit from reading as one solid block of fabric. That’s a real technical reason, not just a styling preference.
Adult Male: Shirt | Pants | Shoes
Young Boy: Sweater | Pants | Shoes
Where to shop for fall family photo outfits
I’m not going to rebuild my whole shop list here, because I already keep a good one. My full list of favorite shops for mom, kids, and dad has where I send families for each person.
Two things specific to these boards. H&M and J.Crew show up a lot in all three, mostly because they have options for every family member and a lot of variety. And if you’re shopping for a baby or a toddler who isn’t walking yet, dressing your baby for photos has some great tips for that age.
Before your fall family session
Try everything on a week early, not the night before! Kids grow between booking and session day, and I have watched more than one pair of pants seem to shrink in just a few weeks. Steam or iron everything, hang the outfits together so you can see them as a group, and set the shoes out with them.
Send me your selections if you’d like feedback
This is the part I’d love to help with. Lay everything out, take one photo of it on the bed or the floor, and text or email it over to me. I’ll tell you what’s working, what’s fighting, and whether your selections will work well with the location we’ve chosen.
And if you haven’t booked with me yet and you found your way here somehow, family session details and pricing has everything laid out, and you can inquire here whenever you’re ready. I would really love to hear from you.
August 28, 2026
