Fall in Coeur d'Alene Idaho...
Whether you recently moved to North Idaho or you are a Coeur d'Alene native, you might need this friendly reminder: Fall is going to fly by. Some years I have seen the vibrant colors of fall stick around for weeks and other years it seems the first freeze creeps in fast and leaves the trees empty far too soon.
So what do you do if you're wanting to take your fall family photos this year with that festive foliage in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho? Here's my secret: Let the colors you love most from this season work their way into your family's outfits for your portrait session! Let me show you exactly how in examples below.



An early fall session with the Blackburns
The leaves were still mostly green and just starting to change color so we brought in rich greens, vibrant yellows, and some deep golden browns through their outfit choices. They also had a great balance of texture with jackets and chunky sweaters. All of these details helped showcase this energetic, joyful family at their best while documenting them during this early fall session in Coeur d'Alene Idaho.



Late fall session with the DeBartolos
For this late fall maternity session the typical fall foliage had already fallen and so we headed to the mountains around Coeur d'Alene Idaho. We still chose that warm burnt orange color to highlight mom's sweet baby bump paired with a warm cozy sweater for her and a rich green sweater for dad. While there isn't a fall leaf to be found or even a golden tamarack to highlight the forest we are still mimicking the colors of fall in way that documents the season and coordinates this couple with the incredible views surrounding Coeur d'Alene.
The General Do's and Maybe Don'ts
- DO draw inspiration from falls colors in nature. Go bold OR more subtle but keep your location in mind and always shoot me a text if you feel stuck or need help.
- DO book your session in advance to get the best chance for fall foliage
- DON'T feel you need to buy an entire new wardrobe for a session! I bet you have something in your closet and I am happy to help you shop your closet, shop locally or shop online.
- DON'T worry if the leaves have fallen, you can still capture the spirit of the season and more importantly your beautiful family
- DON'T use too many types of plaids... after all we want the focus to be on your and your family and sometimes too many plaids can just be distracting... and definitely skip the bright red plaids... I know they're an Idaho closet staple but for family photos we skip them since they like to cast red over everyone's face and create unnatural skin tones.
- DON'T come in all black... there's a time and place for all black and no I don't mean just funerals... all black is a statement and if that is what your heart is set on then I have some awesome ideas and locations in mind for this!
- DON'T listen to me if you don't want to! ALWAYS dress in what feels the most like you! Ive been doing this a long time (15 years) and I know I am not the photographer for every single person... but I am also the photographer who is going to hear you when you say 'hey what if I really have my heart set on this' and I promise to either find a way to make it work or help you find the right person who will say 'I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU!'

See... I'm not anti-plaid! So come as you are friend! Let me document you in this season!