Fall Family Photos in Kansas City
Relaxed outdoor sessions across the metro. Book now and your gallery is back in plenty of time for holiday cards.
★★★★★
“My kids were not looking forward to the ordeal. David was perfect. He immediately put everyone at ease.”
— Marie Ferguson, Google review
See What a Real Session Looks Like
Four kids, six adults, one big Kansas City family — and Marie’s own words about how the day actually went.
The Window Is Shorter Than People Think
Kansas City gets a good few weeks of real fall color, usually from the middle of October into early November. Before that the trees are still green; after it, they are bare. That is the whole season.
Work backwards from the holiday cards and it gets tighter still. If you want cards in the post by the first week of December, you want your photographs taken by mid-November at the latest — which leaves the good weekends in October and early November doing most of the work for the whole metro.
That is not a sales line, it is just the calendar. Families who book in September get the weekend they wanted. Families who ring me in late October are usually choosing from what is left.
What a Session Is Actually Like
Most families turn up a little braced. Somebody has told the kids to behave, somebody else is not sure what to do with their hands, and at least one adult would rather be anywhere else. Ten minutes in, that is usually gone.
We walk, we talk, and the family stops posing and starts being a family. You will get a few of the everyone-looking-at-the-camera frames, because everybody wants those for the wall. The ones that get printed largest are almost always the others.
Outdoors, in real light
No studio, no backdrop. Late-afternoon light through turning leaves is the best thing this season gives you, and it is free.
A spot that suits you
I scout locations across the metro and will suggest one that fits your group size and the ages of the children — or shoot at your own place if it means something.
Back in a week
Fully edited gallery within 5–7 business days, so there is room to order cards without rushing.
What to Wear in the Fall
Coordinate, do not match. Pick two or three colors that sit well together and let everyone dress within them. Autumn does most of the work for you — rust, cream, deep green and denim all photograph beautifully against turning leaves.
Pick a row and build around it. The full fall wardrobe guide breaks down every palette, and Matching vs. Coordinating covers the mistakes worth avoiding.
Fall Session Pricing
Fully edited galleries delivered in 5–7 business days · a 50% deposit reserves your date
30 Minutes
$250
- 25–30 professionally edited photos
- Free web & social downloads
- Your choice of location · 1 outfit
- Delivery via online gallery
1 Hour
$500
- 35–45 professionally edited photos
- Free web & social downloads
- Your choice of location · 2 outfits
1.5 Hours
$850
- 50–75 professionally edited photos
- Free web & social downloads
- Multiple locations within 10 miles · 3 outfits
Travel: the first 50 miles are included. 50–100 miles adds $25, 100–150 adds $50. Overland Park, Olathe, Shawnee, Lenexa and Leawood are all well inside that.
Questions Fall Families Ask
When is the best time to book a fall family session?
September, for a session in October or early November. Real fall color in Kansas City runs from about mid-October into early November, and the weekends inside that window are the first to go across the whole metro.
How late can I book and still get holiday cards out?
Work backwards. Cards in the post by early December means photographs taken by mid-November, since your gallery takes 5–7 business days and card printing takes a week or so on top. Book before the end of October and you are comfortable.
How much does a fall family session cost?
$250 for 30 minutes, $500 for an hour, or $850 for an hour and a half. Same pricing all year — there is no seasonal surcharge. Everything each package includes is listed above.
What happens if it rains?
We reschedule, at no cost to you. Overcast is often better light than bright sun, so I will not move a session just for cloud — but nobody is photographing a family in a downpour. Here is how I handle weather in more detail.
Will the leaves have turned by my date?
Nobody can promise a particular week — it shifts every year with the weather. What I can do is suggest locations that photograph well either way, so a session that lands slightly early or late still looks like autumn rather than a disappointment.
Which areas do you cover?
The whole Kansas City metro, with no travel charge inside 50 miles — that includes Overland Park, Olathe, Shawnee, Lenexa and Leawood. I regularly shoot further out too.
Get Your Weekend Before It Goes
Pick a time that suits you and we will sort out the location, the light and what everyone should wear.