Name: Erika Rigger Photography
Price range: $$

With the show that Mother Nature displays for us, it’s no wonder that autumn is the most popular time of year for family photos! The vibrant colors, soft, diffused lighting, and often cooler temperatures are all busy season signs for photographers!

Nothing says autumn like the changing leaves. Even in our part of North Carolina, this means beautiful hues of red, orange, and yellow, which create a nearly perfect fall backdrop. This session was captured at Hugh MacRae Park (now Long Leaf Park), right here in Wilmington, North Carolina. I love these late fall, November sessions! I chose this location because this adorable family really wanted an autumn look to their session.

The family was visiting from Virginia and found me online. Hooray! I love making new friends.

Pro tip for my fellow photographers: don’t be afraid to place your families right in those leaves! And once you get those more traditional poses out of the way, capture some images of your families joyfully interacting. Darling little Maddy didn’t share her smiles easily, but engaging with her mom and dad? That brought out those exquisite baby smiles. After all, who better to coax out a smile from a baby than mom and dad? Maddy especially had fun playing with dad’s beard! So fun.

If you’re a client here looking for inspiration … not everyone is fortunate enough to live in an area where fall really shows off. But that doesn’t mean that fall family portraits can’t look like – well, fall – almost anywhere you live. Golden hour sessions, and choosing autumn colors for your family’s wardrobe will help you all stand out against more neutral backdrops! Bonus: the sun goes down earlier in the autumn so if you have young kids, golden hour sessions may be simpler for you in the fall.

But Erika, you may be thinking, fall skies in North Carolina can be dull and gray. What golden hour? Well, overcast skies create beautiful, even (read: flattering!) light.

Cooler fall temperatures also mean that families can play without getting icky and sweaty. There’s no better time to interact naturally and connect with each other.