Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

As many of you know, my photography story started with live concert photos. These days when I see a band I tend to just be in the moment and don’t bring my camera, but once in a while I get brought in to do it officially and it’s still SO MUCH FUN. In this case a bunch of mostly-local musicians put on an Iron Maiden tribute show at the Slice (hilariously called “664 The Neighbour of the Beast”). They went all out, including smoke machines, lasers, and special costumed guests as Eddie. It was so much fun and they did an incredible job both with the music and the spectacle of the show.

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!

Rockuronium had a special live music performance at a party for many of their friends and peers, and their guitar player treated them to some live band photography! I love how the band gives all the members a time to shine. Despite there being so many people on stage, they frequently took turns singing and rotating members to the front. The band is totally made up of doctors and health care workers and their name is a medical pun – I always appreciate a good pun! :) I loved being able to crash the party and watch them perform.

Be sure to check out Rockuronium on Facebook to see when they’re performing next!

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You might recognize Alyssa from her solo performances, or from her wedding photos I did a few years ago. She’s been busy this year with her band Coyote Junction and I got together with them in Lethbridge to update their band photos to use in promotional materials. Since they are a country rock band, we went with a look that was rustic (but not dilapidated!) and there were so many great textures to fit this look where we wandered around. The neighbourhood we chose happened to be full of people who knew members of the band, so we had to take a few breaks to say hello! It was like they had an entourage following them ;)

You can hear music from Coyote Junction by checking out their Facebook page!

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I was excited to photograph the Five Alarm Funk Lethbridge Canada Day performance at Henderson Lake… after seeing the band live many times, this was my first time doing photos! Five Alarm Funk are a band you need to dance to and it’s a lot easier doing that without 10 pounds of camera gear strapped to you. Between all of their props, high energy playing, and numerous costume changes, Five Alarm Funk are as fun to photograph as they are to watch. They had a huge crowd up and dancing for their entire one hour set and could have played numerous encores if only there was time.

Next time they visit, make sure you check them out!

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This year I had the pleasure of photographing the Lethbridge Canada 150 Celebration for the City of Lethbridge. Most of the festivities were held at Henderson Lake, with special performances from local acrobats, fire spinners, and other performers. Leading up to the fireworks, Five Alarm Funk and Dan Davidson were headliners on the main stage. Here are some of my favorite images from the day, but I’m sure you’ll see more on the city’s social media accounts!

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