the Hafner family, lifestyle family maternity photos at Showboat Park in Chesaning, Michigan
- Lisa Calandrino
- May 4, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 25, 2024
THE. HAFNER. FAMILY.
You guys. The HAFNERS.
Simply put, this family is incredible. There is so much love between them that it is practically tangible. You can see it in their eyes, their hand placements, and their smiles. I’m not sure that I have ever drooled so much over one session. Every time I opened up my laptop to edit this session, I flipped through the already finished photos just to admire them all over again!
This session’s gallery had me feeling all of the feelings. My heart was melting at the same time as I was laughing, and now, I’m so excited to share those emotions with you.
how they met
Before we dive into the details of their maternity session, I want to highlight Selina and Jeremy’s backstory. I have known Selina and Jeremy for quite some time now. Selina and I graduated high school together and have been friends since… middle school? Maybe? We became best friends in high school, though, where we had both math and human anatomy classes together. After school, we studied, baked cupcakes, and swam together. Throughout the time that I have known her, Selina has been one of the most protective and fierce friends. If Selina is in your corner, she is 110% in your corner. She is there to tell you what you need to hear, to defend you, and to lift you up. Selina has talked me through my lows and has celebrated my highs. She has laughed (as all good friends do) at my minor injuries (hello, one-inch splinter to the foot). And, when I was too nervous to talk at a college open house, she asked the questions for me.
Where Selina is vibrant and vivacious, Jeremy is steady and sweet-natured. Jeremy is kind, gentle, and funny. He is a truly wonderful friend, and I am so happy knowing he is the perfect partner for Selina and the very best father to their little ones. Jeremy graduated a year under Selina and me, but he shared the aforementioned math class with us. He sat in front of me, and Selina sat to the side of me. As much as we may have hated the work that came with the class, we loved the class. Every day was a new day of laughing together and becoming better friends. During our time in this class, Selina already had a huge crush on Jeremy and, being the obnoxious friend I am, I made sure to relentlessly tease Jeremy (with love, of course!). Just about every day, I would write out a note on my calculator screen asking him who he had a crush on. I would tap his shoulder, pass it to him, and he would—most likely—not answer me. In the end, of course, the answer was obvious. I knew he liked her, I knew she liked him, and I knew they would be perfect for each other. As the three of us began to hang out more and more after school (Jeremy joined us for cake and cupcake baking, swimming, and 4th of July fireworks), their relationship continued to blossom.
A few years after the three of us had graduated high school, Jeremy and Selina finally married. And now, all of these years later and with a growing family, they are still looking at each other with the same love in their eyes.
their lifestyle maternity photo session
The Hafner family’s lifestyle maternity photo session placed their love for each other center-stage. We met on a Saturday evening in Chesaning, Michigan’s Showboat Park where I had found a quiet, peaceful spot directly on the riverbank. The grass was tall and tangled and the sky, rich and stormy. In addition to its tranquil atmosphere, this spot also allowed us privacy from onlookers and distractions. The boys could easily play off to the side but still be within eyesight, and we could all talk and move about freely.
Not only was our session location amazing, but the Hafner family's color coordination was a dream. I was so excited to see that Selina chose to wear such a stunning maternity dress! She did an amazing job at making sure her family was well-coordinated without being overly matchy-matchy. Because selecting outfits plays such a large role in the cohesiveness of a finalized gallery, I love to provide my clients with a style guide prior to their session. Clearly, the Hafner’s didn’t need the guide! Their shades of grey and blue looked gorgeous against the cloud-filled sky and green grass.
As I do with most of my clients, I started their maternity session with a formal family photo. I think it is so important to start with this as it helps to break the awkwardness models might be feeling at the start of a session, and it helps guarantee that the finished gallery will include at least one photo where everyone is looking and smiling at the camera.
In case I haven't mentioned it yet, Selina and Jeremy have two adorable children with a third on the way. While their youngest was not super into the photo session, their oldest was fairly engaged. He was also in a stage most children go through, where flashing goofy smiles is specifically reserved for the camera. That being said, I took several of these formal family photos in order to snag one where both boys were looking at the camera. Going through the images after the session, I couldn’t help but laugh at the incredibly silly smiles from the oldest child! When I reached this particular photo (below), I knew it was the one. Look at how he leans into Selina with that huge smile on his face and his hand in his pocket!
After the formal family photos, we moved into what is, in my opinion, the really good stuff.
candid moments. true emotions. real connections.
We took photos of Selina by herself, with Jeremy, and with the boys. We took photos of the entire family together, of Jeremy with the boys, and of just the boys. I tried my best to capture every family combination that we had time for. To keep the boys entertained throughout the hour-long family maternity session, we gave both of them “magic sticks” to carry around. These sticks, which are definitely included in the photos, were a bit of a god-send. They helped keep the children engaged and smiling. When the session was over, I was amused to see that both boys’ sticks were brought back to the cars with them!
For the full hour we were outside, the threat of rain was very real. As I mentioned previously, the sky was filled with storm clouds. Personally, and I know I have mentioned this in previous posts, cloudy skies make for some of my favorite photos. The soft lighting takes away from distracting shadows and seems to really enhance the colors in a photo. This particular sky set the mood for the Hafner's photos. It added to the emotion in each photo and supported the session in every way. In fact, the first rain drop didn't fall until we took the very last photo, and the actual rain didn't start until we had reached our cars and were saying our goodbyes.
I am completely in love with this gallery.
My friends are beautiful. Their family is beautiful.
I can't wait to meet their new little in the coming months and to see how their family continues to evolve over the years.
Now, excuse me while I admire their entire gallery for the umpteenth time, drooling over each photo, laughing at the incredibly cute and goofy smiles from the boys, and feeling so blessed to have this family in my life after all of these years.
A few of my typical side notes:
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