No season announces itself quite like fall. The vibrant colors in the trees, cool nights, purple skies, and the cozy comfort of sweaters and pumpkin-spiced everything create the perfect backdrop for family gatherings. It’s a time when communities and families come together. For photographers, fall is a whirlwind of family portrait sessions, with the brief window of peak autumn colors keeping everyone busy. A great way to complement those autumn images is with professionally designed, beautiful fall family portrait albums. Let’s talk about how to make that happen!
Standing Out in a Crowded Market
The fall family portrait market is bustling with photographers offering a range of styles, settings, prices, and talents—there’s something for everyone. As a photographer, it can feel challenging at times to stand out. Offering beautiful fall family portrait albums can set you apart!
Many photographers host mini-session marathons during peak fall color weekends, providing a handful of digital images with the option to purchase more. This works perfectly for families who only need a few images for holiday cards or those who have limited time or patience for portrait sessions.
While mini-sessions are popular and can be highly profitable if great marketing and sales strategies are in place, take the opportunity to differentiate your business. By adding value with tangible products, like family portrait albums, and a more personalized level of service, you can cater to a more discerning clientele. If there’s something out there for everyone, try being something a little different.
Crafting Unique Experiences
Instead of focusing solely on price points and digital image packages, consider adding printed products and creating an experience that invites families to embrace the beauty of the season. Here are some ideas to make your fall sessions truly memorable:
Cider Picnic Sessions
Skip the crowded orchards and invite your clients to a secluded park for a cozy, fall picnic session. Create a setting with a picnic basket, hot cocoa or apple cider with a wooden step ladder and a bushel of picked apples. Add fall treats like cider donuts or pumpkin tarts and encourage sharing giggles and snuggles.
Start the session with traditional posed portraits, then transition into capturing candid moments. The mix of posed and candid shots will make for a storytelling collection, perfect for a beautiful fall family portrait album keepsake.
Extended Family Sessions
If a family is already putting in the effort to plan their fall session—coordinating outfits, scheduling a date, and traveling to the location—why not extend the event to include other family members? Grandparents, cousins, or adult siblings can join in to make the session even more special. Multi-generational photos grow more meaningful over time, and a handcrafted professional photo album preserves these memories for the next generation.
A Fall Walk & Bonfire Photo Session
If you’re feeling adventurous, and like to build fires, you could round out a traditional portrait session with a walk and a campfire. Marshmallows can be toasted, songs can be sung, and laughs can be had. This one might involve safety planning, and it might make more sense for older kids.
These twilight images will make cozy and intimate storytelling spreads in a family’s fall portrait album.
Experience-oriented sessions that combine candids as well as post-portraits will give you great variety and a fall family photo album. The nice thing too is each year you can rotate the themes as families come back. They won’t be repeating the look from the year before, and you’ve created a new family tradition!
What’s All This Going to Cost?
When you’re offering something extra—whether it’s scouting locations for clients, providing props and treats, or creating a more personalized experience—a higher price point makes sense. Marketing might involve telling the story of the experience, rather than talking about “getting a great deal.”
“Our fall special event sessions include a clothing guide, a session prep checklist, picnic props and treats, and an extended session during the best lighting of the day.
Each session includes [X] digital images and a keepsake album that you’ll treasure for years to come. We also offer printed products like canvases and metal prints that you can add to your collection
We will help you select your final images for your beautiful fall family portrait albums or you can choose them on your own. Many clients return year after year to add another volume to their family’s collection.”
Pricing with Purpose
It’s important to know your costs, time investment, and pricing strategy. If you’re offering mini-sessions for under $300, it might be tricky to add beautiful fall family portrait albums that should cost clients at least that amount (if not more). By providing an all-inclusive experience with assistance before and after the session, along with albums, printed products, and digital files—you’re creating value.
You are also helping to take some of the stress away. Ultimately mom won’t have to figure out what to print or how to organize all those fantastic images, and that’s worth a lot!
Offering Album Options
When presenting album options to clients, a good strategy is to offer something luxurious, something popular, and something budget-friendly. For example:
- A leather-bound Lustre Book could be your premium option.
- A photo-wrap cover Lustre Book could be a client favorite.
- An EZ Book with a photo-wrap cover and thinner pages is a budget-friendly choice.
Of course, there’s always the option to upgrade! (Wink!)
If you’re looking for more tips on offering beautiful fall family portrait albums and creating unforgettable events, feel free to reach out to one of our experts. You can book an appointment HERE and check out our album comparison chart HERE to see the differences between the albums we offer and the features that will delight your clients.
