Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

The year before last, Danyel and Kim missed their window of opportunity for autumn photos because of the early snow. We ended up doing a belated session that was very chilly. Luckily last year balanced things out! Their Aperture Park fall family session was on such a beautiful, calm morning. Instead of shivering children, their three kids got to run around, twirl, and throw leaves in the air.

The kids had such a fun time exploring the west Lethbridge park that they didn’t even want to go home! It was way more fun to keep climbing things there :)

Jocelle was in need of new photos of her and her children to decorate her house with after their family situation changed. It was time to create new memories! We met up on a gorgeous evening for West Lethbridge summer family photos.

Her kids were so fantastic in front of the camera and spent the whole time playing off each other’s senses of humour. It was wonderful to watch how great they got along.

Jocelle wanted a location that wasn’t stereotypically “Lethbridge” – so no coulees and no high level bridge! Aperture Park at the university was perfect for that. It’s such a great blend between a wildlife park and a manicured city park.

Just before the polar vortex hit Lethbridge, it was welcomed in by a heavy blizzard. This happened to be exactly when Lindsay’s maternity photoshoot was booked! We decided to press on since her husband Terry was only back from work for a few more days (and -15C with snow sounded a lot better than -40C!). She ended up with some very snowy Pavan Park maternity photos.

In the beginning, the snow was so thick I could barely see them! Luckily it calmed down just enough to make the photos so wintery and dreamy. Lindsay was committed to her vision and took her huge coat off for photos. The colourful dress looked so amazing in the snow. Her maternity photoshoot will truly be a memorable experience!

Weddings and events may have been postponed in 2020 due to COVID, but once restrictions eased up in the summer, everyone was grateful to spend time outdoors with their families! I was so thankful we have such beautiful, wide open outdoor spaces around Lethbridge so I could keep photographing all of these awesome families. I ended up hoarse on many occasions from yelling through my mask, but it was always worth it.

Two of the biggest trends I noticed this year were all of the babies who arrived (and these aren’t even the quarantine babies yet!) and all of the larger families who made an effort to celebrate important anniversaries and birthdays. I adapted quickly by bringing most of the newborns outdoors on warm days and talking their parents through poses. Everyone did so well!

Some highlights from 2020 include not one but TWO marriage proposals, a cat birthday, and a few more secret projects to come that I can’t share yet, including album art for local musicians and a children’s book. Each season was so amazing this year, from the long blossom season we had to the vibrant colours in the fall. Even the early snow was warm enough for outdoor photos!

Hilda and Basil’s daughter Margaret wanted to do something special for her parents to celebrate their 55 years of marriage, so she arranged these west Lethbridge anniversary photos for them.

Both Hilda and Basil have lived very interesting lives. Hilda is a published poet and Basil used to be a professional soccer player! He was able to bring a soccer ball to the session and was very proud to show off the Brazilian flag in some of the photos.

Margaret hopped in for a few family photos, but most of the session focused on the lovely couple. Margaret and I were grinning and giggling at how cute her parents are! They are a perfect example of finding someone who can still make you laugh in 55 years.

I was so excited to hear from Kelsie and Scott a few years after their wedding when they were expecting their first baby! We patiently waited through a few snow-postponements for their Aperture Park maternity session. Kelsie had picked out such a vibrant green dress to wear and didn’t want to lose it by bundling up in winter gear!

They brought along their fur baby Groot, who had a blast at the park. Despite their best efforts to run off his energy earlier that day, the new smells were just too exciting! Groot, however, was on his best behaviour and paused from bouncing around any time he was needed for a photo.