Lethbridge Portrait & Wedding Photography & Design by Tanya Plonka

I recently had the privilege of photographing the Canadian Cancer Society’s Harvest of Hope Gala. This event was held at the Galt Museum and featured local celebrities who waited tables for the night to raise money, including Clint Dunford, Marty Baceda, and David Rossiter. It was so much fun to photograph such a diverse group of individuals who all contribute so much to the community.

A photo of me making my camera face from the Lethbridge Herald (Photo by Ian Martens).

What a perfect way to end wedding season! Kallie and Wallie were married at the Coast Hotel (where they also partied later that night) on the cusp of autumn, and lucky for us it stopped raining and we had a beautiful day. These two are so freaking fun; Wallie used to be a wrestler so he’s constantly performing, and Kallie is pretty good at keeping up with him! On top of that, I can’t get over how cute they are – c’mon, even their names match. I often found myself teary-eyed along with them because their stories were so sweet and the happy emotions were so high. It felt much more like spending the day with friends than working :) (more…)

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…)

Attila and Chaylene were married this month in a romantic ceremony at the Lethbridge Lodge, which their family traveled across Canada to attend. They were absolutely adorable with how in love they are; halfway through the vows, they got so emotional that they had to pause for a hug! It was a beautiful day and everything went perfectly how they planned it. And what an easy day for me; they are ridiculously photogenic! (more…)

Alex and Todd had a beautiful, intimate wedding with only their immediate family at the ceremony and then a party for more of their friends and family in the evening. Todd’s grandmother, Vivian, though unable to speak due to illness, was at times the life of the party – grinning wildly, enjoying champagne, and constantly giving her thumbs up when things were wonderful to her. She was such a ham in front of the camera, it was hard to get candid photos of her! The whole day was beautiful and romantic, and there was so much happiness and love among everyone. (more…)

This year I did Lethbridge’s Whoop Up Days a little differently… instead of going on rides and packing along a point and shoot, I brought a tripod and a good camera! I dragged myself out there with the intention to stay just a little past twilight, which would be about two hours; Cam was too sick to go and I was in a grumpy, tired mood all day, so it took a lot of effort to leave the house. Once I got there, I had so much fun taking photos that I stayed for over three hours :) I’ve been wanting to do this for a few years now and glad I finally crossed it off the to-do list.

Sadly they raised the price of individual ride tickets so I opted not to take in a ride, but instead enjoyed a jumbo “elephant ear” as a reward when I was finished, and ate it while watching Prism. Heck yeah! (more…)