It’s been scientifically proven that autumn speaks to a part of our souls like no other season. (Read on to learn why!) From back-to-school supplies to family feasts, football kickoffs to forest strolls, fall is filled with much needed festivity, structure and coziness.

It also happens to be a great time of year for photoshoots...all types! Baby photos featuring pumpkins and first costumes, engagement shoots in glowing forests and parks, headshots indoors when the weather is cool and damp, and family gatherings of all sorts. In autumn there are surroundings, backdrops and props you just don’t get any other time of year.

So make the most of fall and this photo opportunity with these six tips to a picture perfect autumn photoshoot! 

Coordinate with the colors of autumn

If autumn is known for nothing else, it’s known for its colors. As the air cools, the leaves undergo a glorious transformation from summer greens to a fall flame of yellows, oranges, reds, and golds. And that’s just the foliage. There’s also the shifting colors of the sunrises and sunsets, misty mornings and dusky evenings.

When dressing for your autumn photoshoot you have more options than ever. You can choose colors that blend with the surroundings, enveloping you in those beautiful autumn scenes with that orange sweater, yellow scarf or red dress. You can also opt for coordinated jewel-tones that will be rich and striking beside the changing colors. Or you can choose creams and neutrals that compliment the season. Whatever your personality and style, you’ll look your best in autumn. 

If your photoshoot is a group shoot, even just a couple of you, remember to coordinate with each other, as well! Try to steer clear of shirts with logos, unless you’ve got a message to share. Dress up, whatever that means to you, and celebrate the season with your own personal style!

Find the perfect fall backdrop

This season also offers no end of tantalizing backdrops, from pumpkin patches to cornfields to blazing forests. Autumn lures us to rustic fences, abandoned railroad tracks, and deserted country roads. If you live in an area blessed with changing leaves, take advantage of them, whether that’s in a city park or a lonely forest blanketed in fallen leaves. If you don’t live somewhere where the leaves change, you’re still going to see the changing colors of the season as the later sunrises and earlier sunsets offer dazzling displays and golden hours like no other. And for city dwellers, streets and squares let you pop in your own autumn colors, like a red pea-coat, orange blazer, or gold dress!

Autumn is also perfect for cozy indoor photoshoots, whether at a favorite coffee shop or your own home, sparing you any sudden weather changes. If you choose home, play it up with fall decorations, lit fireplaces, and fun props (which will get to soon). Once you have all the pumpkins out, carved or not, a porch photoshoot can be a great option, as well.

Your photographer will help you find the perfect location and may use a wide-angle lens and low perspective to capture as much of the beautiful landscape around you as possible.

Pack your fall tote bag

It really doesn’t matter what season it is, if you’re headed to a photoshoot, whether for headshots, vacation pics, or a bachelorette party, you should always have a bag of “tools” at your side. For this season we’ll call it your fall tote bag but it will include many of the same items you don’t want to leave behind the rest of the year: a comb or brush, hairspray, bobby pins, lip gloss, even a makeup bag. Anything you might need to nail those close-ups.

Depending on the length of your shoot and where it’s at, you might also want to consider packing a thermos of something warm to sip on, water, a scarf or umbrella, maybe even a blanket. If kids are involved in the photoshoot, snacks are a must, as well as toys and sweaters.

Just set your fall tote by the door and in the days leading up to your photoshoot, toss things in as you think of them. Or start a list, then fill up your bag and check those items off before you head out to your amazing autumn photoshoot!

Use the props of the season 

The props of autumn include everything from pumpkins to apples trees, cider to scarecrows.  

Falling leaves are a classic choice. If you’re somewhere with spectacular colors, you’ll want them in your photoshoot, so chat with your photographer about ideas on how to make those leaves work for you. Whether that’s throwing them in the air and twirling, laying in them, or sitting on leaf-covered steps. And single leaves or bunches can add beautiful accent colors and texture to the right business pictures and food photography

Even if you don’t live somewhere where pumpkin patches, harvest festivals, and piles of leaves are readily on hand, autumn can mean different foods, drinks and activities to incorporate into your shoot. Candy apples and cocoa tastes and looks good anywhere. Lanterns and “fairy lights” (aptly named for this season) can add sparkle and coziness. And the long shadows and silhouettes of sunset are sure to evoke the autumn mood.

Make the most of the holidays

There are certainly holidays to be celebrated and captured every season, but we might argue that the ones that come in fall are the best. 

The festivities run the gamut from super traditional to not-so-much. On the one hand, there’s Rosh Hashanah, Halloween, Dia de los Muertos, Diwali and Thanksgiving. And on the other hand, back-to-school, football season, Homecoming, autumn equinox, and Friendsgiving. Okay, those latter ones may not be official holidays, but they are embraced and celebrated with as much fervor. The beautiful thing is that you can celebrate and honor one or all of these holidays, each of them offering the opportunity for a fun, festive autumn photoshoot. 

Which holidays do your family love? Which speaks to your heart? Have you ever wanted a picture of all of you in front of that epic Friendsgiving table or the family honoring the beautiful lights of Diwali? Our photographers can be on hand to capture your personal autumn celebrations so you can cherish them always.

Enjoy the changing seasons

Autumn is a season that speaks to many of us. But why is that? Recent research has shown that the season of autumn, in particular, has as powerful of an effect on our psyche and sense of “new starts” as the New Year. After the fun-filled, lazy days of summer, autumn landmarks give us newfound direction and motivation. They also evoke all the feelings of coziness and nesting many of us are conditioned to love since childhood. Basically, fall is comforting, and it brings structure and crisp air which our brains and spirits thrive on.

A photoshoot is a great way to honor the season and the promises of change it offers. Is this the time of year you most love visiting city museums and coffee shops? Is this when you finally indulge in forest walks and sunsets? Or revel in being home, baking, sitting on the porch, or visiting with family? Or perhaps the new season has brought new inspiration and ideas for business ventures. Whatever it is you love about the season, embrace it and capture it in timeless photographs.

If you’re using this cozy season to prep for winter holidays and photoshoots, then be sure to check out our 6 tips to a picture perfect winter photoshoot. 

No matter where you go, what you love most about this season, or what you have going on as the weather cools, our local photographers have got your picture perfect autumn photoshoot covered!