Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

When Sital’s dad was young, he did a bunch of photoshoots of himself in various styles just for fun. Sital wanted to recreate this fun idea after seeing her father’s old photos, and the first of these was a colourful summer-themed concept that we did last June. We’ve since done a few including her daughter, but this first photoshoot was all about Sital! :)

For her summer lifestyle portraits, Sital started with a mood board and we communicated back and forth while she was thrift store hunting to find the perfect outfits. Her mood board had lots of food based ideas, so we went with the more colourful restaurants in the city. It’s hard to beat Tacos Made in Mexico for those bright vibes!

Normally grad photos are squeezed in between hair appointments and grad ceremonies. Ilana’s grad took place in the early evening, so we were able to schedule photos right after and hit golden hour! For her golden hour graduation photos, we did three different looks: her convocation cap and gown, her casual dress, and her prom dress. The light at this time of day was a perfect complement for her auburn hair and dark green dress.

Since she was graduating from Chinook High School, it worked out perfectly to start the photos in Crossings (which has so many spots I love) and stay on the west side. Her family came along to help with her many outfit changes and hop in and out of photos, but most of the focus was still on Ilana.

Annie was one of the university grads who lost their chance at an in person graduation due to COVID. This year the University of Lethbridge added a bonus convocation for students like Annie who graduated before 2022 so they could still walk up and accept their degrees, which was so awesome! It was great to see her again for her U of L convocation photography session. This was not our first time working together, but it was the first time being able to focus so much on her!

Her family members who came to cheer her on also took part in a few photos, most notably her husband who was a huge support while she took classes. When you have a child, getting a degree is a group effort!

Mackenzie was my earliest grad last year for her springtime graduation photos. Everything had only just bloomed in the river bottom so her photos were perfectly timed for spring. She was celebrating her high school convocation here in Lethbridge and her family captured the event with a photoshoot.

From far away, Mackenzie’s dress looked like a shimmery pink. Up close it had the most beautiful and intricate bead work designs, sheer panels as a base to some of the patterns, and the best part of all, pockets! (Brides are at an advantage that they get bouquets to hold for photos, but Mackenzie had the perfect spot to rest her hands.)

Mackenzie was wonderful to work with and up for anything… she had no qualms about climbing over logs or running in her dress!

The U of L had all of its normal convocations again, much to the delight of all the students who spent a lot of time learning online. Valerie made a long trip south to Lethbridge to attend her graduation in person with her proud family along for support. For her University of Lethbridge graduation session, we met just after her ceremony and then wandered around the campus to hit all the best photo spots.

Valerie attended the Calgary campus so she never had a chance to grow tired of the Lethbridge campus’s architecture. We made sure to cover a few of the landmarks at the university like University Hall and the Aperture sculpture in the bus loop. Valerie came prepared with a backup pair of walking shoes so I didn’t have to make her hike around in her heels ;)

Good luck on the next leg of your education, Valerie!

“Hand in hand, with fairy grace,
Will we sing, and bless this place.”
-A Midsummer Night’s Dream

If you saw Shakespeare in the Park’s summer performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Lethbridge last year, you’ll definitely remember Titania, played by the talented Megan! Between the incredible presence she had as the character and how dreamy her whole look came together, I had to get her to step into the role one more time for a creative photoshoot.

I waited until the wall of leaves turned its vibrant red colour in the fall, knowing it would be a perfect match for Megan’s hair. And it was even more close than I expected!

The most important part of my vision was a light painting portrait once it was dark enough out. Megan and our helper Leslie were amazing and committed – it started snowing on us as soon as we arrived at the final location and I needed Megan to hold still! None of us could feel our hands by the end but it was worth it :)

Gown by Amanda Epp
Makeup by Leslie Van Zwol