Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

How Chelsea created lasting memories for her favourite ‘partner in crime’

His brilliant butterscotch fur was perfectly pressed, his teeth bright and breath fresh. It was a special spring day for Louis the Chihuahua.

Louis’ owner, Chelsea wanted to make his 10th birthday something unique – something to remember.

“He’s been the perfect partner in crime!” Chelsea said of Louis. “We have been on SO many adventures. Recently, I purchased a small dog-friendly pet carrier so he can still be a part of all our favourite summer adventures. He especially likes canoe rides.”

So to make his big day memorable, Chelsea prepared a picnic, made a cake and planned a special walk through Aperture Park at the University of Lethbridge. To cap it all off, she wanted to document the special day with a personalized pet photography session, so she called me!

Barkley’s human dad came up with a great Christmas gift idea for his wife: gorgeous portraits of their new puppy! Barkley made a special trip all the way to Lethbridge for his Indian Battle Park winter puppy photos.

After only a few months, Barkley is already the size of most dogs. There is definitely Saint Bernard and Bernese Mountain Dog in those giant paws of his!

(more…)

Charlie was treated to some senior dog celebration photos with his family who loves him very much! Charlie’s mom organized this special session with Charlie and his human brothers Daniel, Jake, and Luke. Even though the boys are all adults now, they still love their childhood dog so much! Charlie is just one of the boys and loved exploring Aperture Park with his family, some of whom were visiting Lethbridge just for this session. Not only did it smell like deer everywhere, but he had so many huge sticks to choose from!

(more…)

Part 2 of the year in review features the portrait side of things! This year marked a few firsts, including my first bunny session and my first family dressed in Batman costumes. I had so much fun with every group I worked with. Thank you for letting me bring your personalities out in your photo sessions!

This year for portraits I stayed pretty local in Lethbridge, but also took a few special trips to the Crowsnest Pass, Waterton, Claresholm, and Magrath. The yearend marks a very special occasion – the 10th anniversary of when I started my business! So many of the people in these photos have been with me for years and I couldn’t have made it this far without their love and support.

I hope you enjoy looking through our best portraits of 2018 as much as I liked choosing them!

(more…)

Our second year visiting Santa was a success! This year’s Santa Paws photos were held at the new Bone & Biscuit location in Crossings in west Lethbridge.

Santa Paws 2018 Stats:

– Santa was visited by 41 dogs and 9 cats
– Santa’s hat was stolen once
– Santa was debearded twice (once by a dog and once by a cat)
– 458* bribery treats were administered
– there was only one floor accident
– one very brave pup got closer to Santa than last year

*totally made up number

Proceeds from the event went to support The Last Chance Cat Ranch.

(more…)

I’m so happy with all these puppies I got to play with this month! Timber joined me with his human mom for his Lethbridge Burnese Mountain Dog puppy photos. He’s also part Golden Retriever, but the Burnese seems to be taking over. Timber is already larger than most small breed dogs, but a tiny fraction of the final size he will become!

I could not get over how well behaved he is for a puppy. That is largely thanks to the training he is taking, but he’s also such a gentle soul. He was happy to quietly explore all the new smells at the park and dig through the grass for fun clumps of leaves to play with.

(more…)