Tara Flannery is a Certified Professional Photographer (CPP), Photographic Craftsman, and Master of Photography based in Houston, TX. Tara Flannery Photography specializes in family portraits. See more family photos in the gallery. Contact me to book your family portrait today!
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Fall family portraits season always seems to arrive faster than expected.
One minute, summer is wrapping up, and the next, you’re thinking about holiday cards, gifts for grandparents, and realizing the family photo hanging on your wall is a few years out of date.
Fall is one of my favorite times to photograph families, but it’s also one of the busiest times of year for family portraits. A little planning ahead can make the entire experience easier—and give you more options when it comes to dates, locations, and how you ultimately use your photos.
If fall family portraits are on your list this year, here are seven things to know before you book.
1. Book Your Fall Family Portraits Earlier Than You Think
One of the biggest mistakes families make is waiting until fall is already well underway to start thinking about photos.
Weekend availability can disappear quickly, especially during October and November when everyone is trying to squeeze in photos before the holidays.
Booking earlier gives you more flexibility to choose a date that works well for your family instead of simply taking whatever is left.
It also gives us plenty of time to plan the details without feeling rushed.
If you know you want updated family portraits this year, you don’t need to have everything figured out before reaching out. Getting your date on the calendar is a great place to start.
2. Think About How You Want to Use Your Photos
Before we start talking about outfits and locations, think about why you’re updating your family photos in the first place.
Maybe you want:
- New framed photos for your home
- Images for your holiday cards
- Christmas gifts for grandparents
- Updated photos of your children
- A portrait of the entire extended family
- Photos that simply document what your family looks like right now
There doesn’t need to be a special occasion.
Sometimes realizing that your kids have changed significantly since your last family photo is reason enough.
Knowing how you’d like to use the images can also help us make more intentional decisions while planning your session.
3. Coordinate Your Outfits—Don’t Match Them
Your family should look like you belong together—not like you’re wearing a uniform.
Instead of putting everyone in exactly the same color, start with a coordinating color palette and build everyone’s outfits around it.
Mixing complementary colors, subtle patterns, and different textures creates visual interest while still making the entire family look cohesive.
You’ll also want to avoid anything that might distract from the people in the photograph, like oversized logos or extremely busy patterns.
Most importantly, choose clothing everyone feels comfortable wearing.
If your child hates their outfit before you’ve left the house, they’re probably not going to suddenly love it when the camera comes out.
4. Choose a Location That Feels Like Your Family
Fall family portraits don’t automatically have to mean standing in the middle of a field at sunset.
While outdoor natural locations photograph beautifully, they’re only one option.
Your session could take place in a park, an urban setting, around your neighborhood, at your home, or somewhere that has a particular meaning to your family.
Think about your family’s personality.
Are you more relaxed and casual? Polished and traditional? Outdoorsy? Urban?
The best location isn’t necessarily the trendiest one. It’s the one that complements your family and the kind of photos you want to create.
5. Plan Around Your Kids—Not Just Your Calendar
If you have younger children, this one is especially important.
Think about when your kids are typically at their best.
Nap schedules, mealtimes, bedtimes, and even how long your children can comfortably participate should all factor into planning your session.
Yes, beautiful light matters.
But beautiful light combined with an exhausted, hungry toddler isn’t exactly a recipe for relaxed family photos.
We’ll work together to find the best balance between lighting, location, and what realistically works for your family.
And please make sure everyone has eaten before the session. A little snack beforehand can go a surprisingly long way!
6. Don’t Put Too Much Pressure on “Perfect”
This might be the most important thing I can tell parents before family portraits:
Your children do not need to behave perfectly.
They might wiggle.
Someone may not want to smile.
Your toddler might decide they would rather explore than stand exactly where we’ve asked them to.
That’s okay.
Of course, we’ll capture some of the classic portraits where everyone is together and looking toward the camera. But we’ll also create images where you’re interacting, laughing, walking, cuddling, and simply being together.
Sometimes the photo parents end up loving most isn’t the one where everyone is perfectly posed.
It’s the one that actually feels like their family.
The goal is connection, not perfection.
7. Remember That Your Session Isn’t the Final Deadline
If you’re planning to use your fall family portraits for holiday cards or Christmas gifts, don’t work backward from December 25th and assume you have until the last minute.
Your actual photography session is only one part of the timeline.
After your session, your photos still need to be edited and delivered. Then you’ll need time to select images, design cards, order prints or gifts, and account for production and shipping.
Suddenly, that late-November session doesn’t leave quite as much time as you thought.
Booking earlier gives everyone a little more breathing room—and means you won’t be anxiously tracking a package of Christmas cards in December.
Current Fall Family Portrait Availability
If family photos are on your fall calendar, now is the time to reserve your weekend.
Here is my current weekend availability:
September 20
October 3
October 17
October 24
November 7
November 15
Availability is current as of August 2026 and is subject to change as sessions are booked.
Fall weekends tend to fill quickly, so if there’s a particular date that works best for your family, I recommend reaching out sooner rather than later.
Your Family Doesn’t Have to Be “Photo Ready”
You don’t need perfectly coordinated outfits.
Your kids don’t need to promise they’ll smile.
And your family certainly doesn’t need to look like something you saw on Pinterest.
You just need to make the time to document this version of your family.
Because next fall, your kids will be another year older. Your family may look a little different. And the season you’re in right now will have already passed.
Those are the photographs that become more valuable with time.
If you’re ready to plan your fall family portraits in the Houston area, I’d love to help you create a session that feels relaxed, intentional, and true to your family.
Ready to get your fall family portraits on the calendar? Click HERE to inquire and reserve your session.
Tara Flannery is a Certified Professional Photographer (CPP), Photographic Craftsman, and Master of Photography based in Houston, TX. Tara Flannery Photography specializes in family portraits. See more family photos in the gallery. Contact me to book your family portrait today!
