Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

It finally feels like spring is here and the birds no longer sound angry about having returned to a lot of snow so I felt it was a perfect time to go out and take some photos of them. Any excuse to be out in the new found sunshine is a good one. I was most eager to track down some pelicans, which I’ve been wistfully watching out the windows of the university as they fly like pterodactyls over the Old Man River, but since I’m a little scared of them (their wing spans can be up to 10 feet!!!), I started out slow with some more domesticated birds. I live close to (a) water, and (b) a high school, so the seagulls were an easy one to cross off the list first. Nicholas Sheran had the first of the season’s song birds and ducks, but the pickings were still slim. The Canadian Geese are always easy to find by the nature reserve next to the golf course, but the pelicans (the aloof, terrifying birds they are) took a bit of tracking down… (more…)

As you probably know from the lack of deer and prairie photos on my blog, I am not a nature photographer. It’s not my strong point. However, this past weekend, when faced with Bluejays and Stellar Jays (and some other guy I don’t know, because I’m not a bird watcher) eating from their peanut bird feeder, I couldn’t resist. Rather than show you the “nice” photos, I bring to you… AWKWARD BIRD PHOTOS. It was the accidental moments between the good shots that brought me the most delight.

p.s. If you are wondering, the local chipmunk has had a terrible time since the birds realized how delicious peanuts are. The magpies have also gotten in on the action, but instead of coming close to human dwellers to get the peanuts themselves, they wait until the little birds leave their stash, then sneak in the tree and eat the peanuts. How rude! (more…)

I’ve done tons of photos of Sarah with her horses before, but usually with her in a dress! She finally wanted some “normal” photos, so we set out with her tall horse Santana to get a few images of her riding him just before sunset. It was probably one of the last few “warm” evenings of the year and we were especially fortunate to chose the night that had the most gorgeous sunset all week! We did quite a few regular riding photos, but I had the most fun when I spun her around and pointed my camera into the lowering sun. (more…)

Izzie’s “mom” Amanda wanted to celebrate the pug’s second birthday by giving her a stylish photo session. Izzie is one of the most well behaved, attentive dogs I’ve ever come across, and she was so cute that I spent most of the session exclaiming, “Awww!” and had to frequently stop to give her a pet or a little cuddle :) (more…)

Sara’s mom Michelle was in town visiting last weekend so Sara asked me to capture some long overdue mother/daughter photos of the two of them, along with Sara’s sweet little dog Goldie. These photos were a challenge for Sara, because she is normally on the other side of the camera! However, she’s totally photogenic (even though she doesn’t think so), so I think she needs to spend more time in front of the lens too :) These girls were so easy to get beaming smiles out of, and I was glad I picked such a colorful location for photos when they had picked such gorgeous rich colors for their clothes. (more…)