Deciding what to wear for family photos in Sioux Falls can be one of the most stressful things about having a family portrait session! It’s one of the first questions I am asked when talking to a client about creating the best family photos I can! 

A popular belief is that selecting a color and everyone wears that is dated. While not totally wrong, I have a better suggestion for selecting outfits that not only coordinate and match your personal style, but also are modern and polished. Your family can look on-trend, but also lasting so your family portraits will stand the test of time.

Instead of picking one color for your family portraits, choose a color palette instead. Much like designing your home color scheme, selecting an array of coordinating colors will give your wardrobe flexibility and allow each member of the family to stay true to themselves.

Pick one or two main colors, and coordinate with neutrals.

Don’t be afraid to be bold and bright with your family wardrobe when having family photos taken.

For example, Teal and coral are terrific bold colors that go well together, but a large group of teal and coral can be overwhelming. Instead, let one family member go with the bold color, and the rest of the family can coordinate from it by mixing in neutrals.

• Teen girl - teal dress

• Teen girl 2 - coral dress

• Mom - Navy dress with teal/coral flowers

• Little girl - navy dress

• Son - navy shirt, neutral shorts

• Dad - teal shirt, neutral shorts

• Son 2 - coral shirt, neutral shorts

Navy, cream and pinks oh my!

Another example of a color scheme that works great and is a little more conservative is navy, pink with cream and maroon neutrals. See this example below of this perfectly coordinated family! These guys are experts at dressing! They are picture perfect examples of how to select clothing for your family photos!

• Mom - Neutral top with jeans

• Dad - Maroon plaid with jeans

• Son - Maroon with jeans and blue under

• Daughter in law - Navy dress with pink and cream floral

• Grandson - Blue with jeans

• Granddaughter - Pink dress

• Baby - Cream with blue
  

Maroon, navy and pink are a great combination for a fall family photography photoshoot in Sioux Falls!

When you are choosing a family portrait photographer in Sioux Falls, I set up a planning meeting with you where we can discuss your home style, your vision for your family portraits, and together, plan your wardrobe so your images will display in your home as works of art.As a family portrait photographer, my goal is not only to take good photos with my camera, but to advise you the entire way from wardrobe to delivery on how to make your images spectacular! The difference between an ok familly portrait and a WOW family portrait is all in the details.

I would love to create a family portrait for you. Give me a call at 605-610-9557 to book a consult!

I love a fun extended family session! Grandma Chris adores her grandchildren, and when we set up a time to do family photos she told me all about them!

This crew of little blondies came from as far away as New Mexico for our perfect fall session out at Great Bear Ski park. Great Bear is a wonderful place for family photos! The trails are beautiful and it’s generally pretty quiet. The colors are gorgeous in the fall and it’s like Grandma and nature were in cahoots for dressing these beauties perfectly for the scenery!

Chris was able to use these perfectly coordinated images to make a stunning wall gallery and a beautiful holiday card!

A great tip for dressing a large group for photos is to pick a pallet and then dress of it. These guys did a perfect combination of burgundy, denim and cream. The kids all look coordinated without being matchy-matchy and adults had a wide variety of style to choose for themselves. This is a great way to make a cohesive image that will become a treasured family portrait. If you need more tips, I have a whole Pinterest board of dressing ideas for your family!

https://www.pinterest.com/shalista/what-to-wear/

If it’s been awhile since your whole family has had a group photo, give us a call! We love helping you create a family heirloom!

For over 15 years I have been able to photograph this gorgeous family. From years ago on the capital steps in Pierre, to this past fall when they trusted my new location idea! These are my people. My oldest — and favorite — clients. <3

I have seen it grow from four people, to five, then to six, seven and eight! Some families imprint a special place in your heart and from Miss Kait as just an 8th grader, to photographing her senior photos I have loved seeing her turn into a fantastic adult. She dotes on her sweet niece and handsome nephews. There was a few years we lived in separate cities, but I was able to photograph Miss Jorja and Mr. Beckett as newborns.

This family treasures family portraits. They make a special time each year to capture the kids growing bigger, the family growing larger, and the changes all of them have made alone the way. I am forever grateful they choose me to capture these memories year after year.

If you’re interested in your own family portrait session, we’d love to chat!

Why Family Portraits Will Mean as Much to Your Kids as they Do to You.

Sioux Falls Family Photography.

For those of you who are moms who clicked on this blog post thinking about the begging, pleading and the fights you’ve gotten into with your kids before a portrait session, let me say first; I feel you.

I know how hard it is to coordinate the schedules, coordinate clothing and the prayers you say that nobody gets sick the day before the photo session. I know that you’ve taken the dog to the groomer, you’ve skipped the pedicure for yourself chosen closed-toed shoes instead, and you’ve promised non-organic, GMO laced treats that you would normally never allow to your kids after the session if they Just. Smile. And. Cooperate.

But, hear me out.

If you’ve ever seen the look on the face of a kid who realizes that the family portrait hanging in the hall doesn’t include them, you would understand why I’m so passionate about making sure that family portraits are kept updated.

Have you ever noticed how much little kids love to look at photos of themselves?

I hold myself to the same standard, by the way. Every year my family and I have our photo taken by another professional photographer.  And as I stand there smiling, trying to forget about how my youngest screamed at me 5 minutes before as I combed through her hair. I try to block out how my teenagers sulked in the car resenting every hair on my head and how my husband grumbled about wasting a perfectly good Saturday….. I truly feel your pain.

This is my family in Mexico a few years ago! Photographed by Monica Lopez in Cancun! https://monicalopezphoto.com/monica-lopez-photography/

When children are young, they look to their family to understand more about the world and their place in it. In this safe place, they begin to understand the hierarchy of their extended family, and where they fit in the world. Understanding these connections are the building blocks of their self-esteem.

Have you ever noticed how much little kids love to look at photos of themselves? How much they love looking at photos of their family?  This doesn’t change as they get older, though they may attempt to hide it in their teen years. You know how much you love seeing your kids grow, and they do too. Making sure they are seen in family photos matters to them.  

Seeing family photos on the walls sends a message to your kids that “You are loved. You are a part of this family.”

Seeing family photos on the walls sends a message to your kids that “You are loved. You are a part of this family.”

And as we all know, these photos will be even more treasured as they age. How many of us say that photos would be the first thing we would grab in a fire?

If you’ve been putting off family photos for “someday when…” don’t. Your family is perfectly imperfect right now. I’m currently booking late summer and fall 2019 family portrait sessions now, so get in touch!

Sioux Falls Family Portraits

www.shalista.com

Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus

Shalista Photography

Tween Girl Poses

Sioux Falls outdoor campus photography

Sister pose by Shalista Photography