Lethbridge Portrait & Wedding Photography & Design by Tanya Plonka

This was a show I had been looking forward to for a LONG time. I can’t remember when I was first shown Awolnation’s music (maybe a year ago already?), but his first full length CD is by far my favorite release this year. I have been obsessed with that album, and with him not being a big name yet, a Canadian tour wasn’t looking promising. I checked the Facebook page constantly for concert updates, and I finally I saw that he was coming to Alberta. However, it was in Edmonton… so what did I do? Buy tickets the moment they came out, and drive the 6+ hours to see him, of course!

The show ended up selling out a month before because he’s really blown up lately, so I’m very thankful I plan everything far in advance. He performed with his band at the Starlite Room, and holy crap, they were fantastic – he needs to keep them on as his regular band because they are so tight together. Not knowing the venue, I didn’t want to take any expensive gear so I went equipped with only my old Rebel XT and my 50mm lens. It was a challenge, especially since most of his lighting was that gross purple-red that destroys skin tones and any facial contrast, and we were packed in so tightly, but I managed to dodge all the arms flying up around me to get some shots. The only issue is that sometimes we were too close and I couldn’t fit him in the frame… but I’m not complaining, being in the front is the best :) (more…)

Wednesday at DrupalCon was another full day of learning, and I attended extremely diverse classes from styling maps to talking about internet marketing. I had a few “ah ha!” moments, which are always a treat at these events. (more…)

Each time I go to Disneyland, I intend to blog my favorite photos but never get around to it… well, no more! This time around it was a challenge to find photos of things I have never taken there before, and with a few new Christmas elements and special touches around the park (along with some inclement weather), the task was much easier than I expected! Even though it rained quite a bit, it was nice to get away from the snow for a week and have a break :) (more…)

Grady played in Lethbridge a few weeks ago at Average Joe’s, and it was a fantastic show – it was definitely worth braving the freezing weather for it. They haven’t played in Lethbridge in quite some time, plus Gordie Johnson’s former band Big Sugar were the second band I ever saw in a bar, so I was super excited for this show since I found out about it. The performance was fantastic, and Johnson’s guitar chops never fail to blow my mind. (more…)

I hadn’t heard of Maria in the Shower until catching them open for Lily Fawn at the Slice a few weeks ago, but they impressed me in a huge way and were luckily playing their own show at Slice again the week after! Their music is a fun ecclectic blend of all kinds of delightful things and fantastic for dancing to. Not only is their music amazing, but they are top notch performers, never letting their energy wane for a moment; I’m sure the pictures speak volumes of that.

Check out their MySpace page! (more…)

It’s been a while since they were last here, so Lethbridge was stoked Big John Bates and the Voodoo Dollz had finally returned to the city for one of their awesome rockabilly/burlesque shows. This was their first time playing at Henotic (which is unfortunately ending operations in two weeks), and it was a fantastic venue for this show. As usual I enjoyed every moment of their performance, and wish they could have played for several more hours!

Disclaimer: Some of these photos come pretty close to being topless (but in true burlesque style, the girls are wearing pasties!), so if side-boob offends you or if you are at work you better not click through the rest ;) (more…)