Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

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!

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!

Congratulations to the nursing grads of 2021/22! The University of Lethbridge was finally able to have in-person convocation ceremonies again and the nursing class was able to have their pinning ceremony. The event was held in the ballroom at the university with graduates, faculty members, and their family in attendance.

This year’s graduates had unique challenges during their education. Their time at school saw a pandemic, online classes, and a faculty strike. Making it this far was even more of an accomplishment than any of them had anticipated.

Thank you for having me photograph your University of Lethbridge Nursing Faculty pinning ceremony!

When Anita called me to book her Coaldale backyard family photos, she was in a hurry. One of her sons was ready to travel back to Germany the moment flights reopened and one son had just graduated high school but missed out on the big ceremony. To keep her session easy for the boys to prepare for and make it more personal, I visited them in their beautiful backyard.

We spent the first half of the session focusing on the family, and the second half was dedicated to Steve’s grad photos. Luckily he had been able to borrow a cap and gown from his school, but I think the best photos were of him rocking his suit. You could tell he felt extra confident in it. It definitely “suited” him (sorry I will see myself out).

Martha is a very dear friend of one of my favorite university professors that I’ve ever had. I’ve seen so many photos of her and heard so many of their adventures that I almost felt like I knew her before I met her! As part of her graduation gift, Martha’s friend treated her to convocation portraits. This year Martha accomplished the huge achievement of graduating with a University of Lethbridge Masters Degree in Environmental Science.

We did the photos at the University of Lethbridge to honour the hard work she put in on campus. However, Martha was feeling a little done with her studies by that point so we stuck to more of the natural landscape around the university rather than looking at the buildings. The lilacs are amazing this year and were still in bloom on campus so we took full advantage of them.

Upon meeting Martha you can immediately sense how kind and positive she is. This was even more apparent in how happy she looked wearing several layers with her cap and gown in the heat! It was super hot that day – unbelievably so! – but Martha was full of smiles and laughter.

Congratulations on your graduation, Martha!

I started out the U of L grad week with the lovely Michelle who was celebrating her newly acquired degree! Michelle and her family came back to the city for her convocation and University of Lethbridge graduation photos. To avoid being rushed we did her session the night before grad, which I think was a fantastic move as convocation day is so crazy! Her mom and dad (mostly dad) tried their best to embarrass her during the photos but Michelle would have none of that ;) After her cap and gown photos around the university campus, we headed over to Aperture Park for more casual portraits. The rain tried to threaten us but instead we had a beautiful evening!

(more…)