Lethbridge Portrait & Wedding Photography & Design by Tanya Plonka

A few weeks ago I headed to the Crowsnest Pass to welcome Mark and Sarah’s first baby, Nate, into the world with a family photo session getting everyone involved. Unfortunately it was raining that whole weekend so we weren’t able to make use of the gorgeous scenery around Sarah’s parents’ ranch, but they had a wonderful house in which we were able to stay warm. Nate is a super cute, easy going baby and it was fun to see his grandparents totally beaming over him. I hadn’t seen Mark and Sarah in quite a while so it was great to have some time to catch up. They are going to make awesome parents, and Nate is lucky to have such sweet grandparents! (more…)

I met with Amanda and Dean this week for their engagement photo session, and we had hoped for sun and no wind but didn’t get either of our wishes! Rather than rescheduling, we took shelter in the beautiful Coast Hotel and everything still turned out great. These two are a couple of hotties so it wasn’t very hard to make them look good, though Amanda had to hassle Dean a few times when his smile started to get forced ;) However, that always brought out her amazing big smile. :) (more…)

With Starsha’s help, I’m here to school you on my boudoir sessions! :)

Boudoir sessions are an empowering way to feel good about your body and about who you are. Embrace your beauty! These sessions are for women of any shape, size, or age.

Don’t worry about being shy. We start with more clothing until you get a little more comfortable, and most women feel natural (and even like a model!) ten minutes into the session. Starsha was specifically recruited for the blog, but boudoir sessions are ones I do not publicly post. For most women, they are a very personal thing – whether for a significant other or just for yourself! You get to view your photos in a password protected gallery that is only visible by people with whom you share it. The boudoir photos you see in my website gallery are all carefully selected so as to not be too personal or revealing, and then permission is sought from the subject. Nothing will be in public eye without you first giving the okay. If you are totally thrilled and brave, let me know and I’d love to post your photos for other people to see!

Where do we do them? In your own home! This is where you feel most comfortable, and I can get the most natural, relaxed look from you in this kind of environment. Besides that, your home usually totally reflects who you are and that’s something to be embraced. These bright yellow walls? These photos were all done in Starsha’s little bedroom – which is so amazing, bright, colorful, and happy :) (more…)

This weekend I was able to take dog photos of adorable Deuce, the not-so-puppy Great Dane. I had been looking forward to meeting him for a long time, and he is so awesome! He’s not fully out of his puppy stage yet so he’s still full of hyperactive energy and awkwardness, but since he’s a Great Dane he’s already bigger than most dogs. (When I arrived, I had to clarify if that was him in the backyard, or if they had a new foal. It was him.) He was so fun to work with (as long as I was able to avoid the slobber) and I’m happy I could capture his beautiful blue eyes in some photos :) Such a sweet, loving, big dog! (more…)

Darcy and Jordyn were in need of some engagement photos, and much to my delight Jordyn was willing to go to my “difficult” location I picked out. The two of them trekked with me through fences, thistle, and some questionable graffiti all for the art :) These two are super cute and were so easy to work with (and pretty easy to convince that their awkward feeling poses were actually making them look awesome).

We were all absolutely soaked by the end of the photography session as we got stuck in a sudden downpour, but I’m so glad they braved the looming clouds. Thanks for trusting in me, and sorry about the wet clothing :) (There is nothing quite like having to peel off items after a photo session!) (more…)

Kayli graduated high school in Bow Island this weekend and I joined her for a few hours to take photos of her in her dress with her family and her boyfriend Taylor. And what a dress! I might be biased because my favorite color is purple, but it was pretty awesome :)

It was so fun to do photos in a brand new place and I always love doing photos in small towns because you can find some great old buildings with lots of character. Almost all of the photos were taken right downtown! Kayli also found a great old farm house for us to use, and I’m thrilled she was so dedicated to the art… we had to carefully step over a LOT of cow poop to do photos in there! She was so fun and laid back, making my ideas super easy to pull off. Aside from the mosquitoes (and Taylor and Kayli having to constantly slap them off each other), we had a beautiful day and the rain held back just long enough. (more…)