Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

Just as I had been wanting to do witch-themed photos, I was serendipitously contacted by a group of friends who were planning a girls’ weekend away in Lethbridge in the coming summer. They wanted to dress up like a coven for a fun photoshoot during their trip. It was incredibly hard to wait the many months until their visit, but soooo worth the wait!

Chelsey, Joanne, and Trish absolutely killed it. They selected sexy black outfits all with unique personality and enlisted the talents of Katt Panic for their makeup.

I had so much fun with these women, and they were up for anything! I got everyone to levitate, they climbed on trees in their dresses and heels, and by the end they braved the cold to make use of some creative lighting after dark. The best part of the session was their energy and the positivity they gave to each other, encouraging each of their friends and telling them how sexy they were.

This was easily my favourite photos session this year and I’m so thankful you ladies found me!

Last fall, Jamani Duo began working on the creatives for their new album. They loaded up their van with the instruments that were used on the tracks and we adventured throughout the city with all their instruments in tow. Normally when I do Lethbridge promotional band photos there may be a guitar involved, not a whole set up that takes 20 minutes to put together, so this was a ton of fun!

When they listed off the numerous instruments they had recorded with, the top down photo with their instruments surrounding them was the first image that came to my mind, and I was so excited to see it was the photo that made the album cover!

Cam once again rocked his Lethbridge dance performance photos of Ammena Dance Company’s 2020 show An Explosion of World Dance & Music. It’s so great to have him involved in my hobbies!

If you saw the poster from the show, you already knew there would be a bunch of retro elements going on. This year we had an American Bandstand theme with our show’s host, Gary, interviewing various dancers between each piece.

Everyone did an amazing job, especially the show’s creator and choreographer Lise-Anne, and the Yates Memorial Theatre’s lighting tech Rob.

p.s. I make a few appearances in this post. Can you spot me?

Lethbridge’s local theatre scene saw a standout production in 2019 with A Streetcar Named Desire. The production was done by Theatre Outré, whose intimate performance space at Didi’s Playhaus really added to the rawness of the play.

I was thrilled to be asked to photograph the show on its dress rehearsal night, allowing me to move freely around the U-shaped audience space. Every performer was outstanding, and I’m not ashamed to admit I jumped many times during Stanley’s outbursts, despite the detachment that comes from being behind a camera! (The only thing I am embarrassed about is that my only previous knowledge of the play was from the Simpsons!)

It’s not every day I get to take Lethbridge professional wrestling photos, but this summer I found myself capturing the promotional photos for local wrestler Kenn Stevens. (This is such new ground for me that I’m not even sure what category to put this under on my blog!) Lethbridge may not have a big wrestling scene, but Kenn is the now the third person I know who takes part in this amazing form of entertainment! I have a couple friends who retired from the sport some time again so I’m glad to see it alive and doing well in new wrestlers.

It was truly a privilege to be able to photograph Lethbridge Diva Cabaret for a second year in a row! Once again the event was held at Pure Casino Lethbridge and sold out both of its Friday and Saturday shows. Many of the performers from previous years returned and we joined by new queens, hyper queens, and a few performers from Calgary.

This year marked the 5th anniversary of the Diva Cabaret’s start in Lethbridge. All proceeds went to support the 2019
Lethbridge Pride Fest. Each year the show continues to promote its themes of inclusion and body positivity.

I even spotted a few of my group’s former dance costumes among the performers!

p.s. If you missed the photos from last year’s show, you can check them out here!

Viewer discretion advised: this post contains some burlesque images (without full nudity), so may not be appropriate while you are at work.