Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

“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

I began planning this colorful self-portrait project during our very first COVID lockdown in the spring of 2020. When things opened back up faster than expected, this project went on the back burner and I spent the next year spotting random colored objects in my house and creating a mental checklist.

The next spring I had ample time with all of the pandemic restrictions. I spent almost the entirety of May collecting items of every color, digging through and rearranging dance costumes, and scouring the internet for makeup ideas to imitate.

I wanted a Vanity Fair, classic fashion inspired look to contradict how silly the photos were, so I set up a simple gray backdrop in my living room and lit the photos with a single light with very large diffuser. All of the photos are true self-portraits, using the Camera Connect app from Canon on my phone and hiding the phone either under myself or the draped fabrics, with the exception of orange. (Though I did get one Annyong shot on my own before enlisting Cam’s help for that!)

Each setup was an eclectic mix of everyday household objects, newer items that hold lots of emotional value to me (a TON are dance related), and vintage objects (mostly toys) I have held onto. In exploring how to best let go of these childhood possessions, I wanted to find a way to honor them before I say goodbye. Photos have been one great way of doing that. (These toys are a fraction of what I still have!)

After I completed each photo (and variations), I spent a bit of time documenting my makeup with close up portraits. This quickly turned into a mini project of its own! It was a fun challenge to bring that same energy into a much smaller area.

I had such a great time teasing these out on social media one by one and seeing everyone’s reactions. Here is the full set!

Just as I had been wanting to do witch-themed photos, I was serendipitously contacted by a group of friends who were planning a girls’ weekend away in Lethbridge in the coming summer. They wanted to dress up like a coven for a fun photoshoot during their trip. It was incredibly hard to wait the many months until their visit, but soooo worth the wait!

Chelsey, Joanne, and Trish absolutely killed it. They selected sexy black outfits all with unique personality and enlisted the talents of Katt Panic for their makeup.

I had so much fun with these women, and they were up for anything! I got everyone to levitate, they climbed on trees in their dresses and heels, and by the end they braved the cold to make use of some creative lighting after dark. The best part of the session was their energy and the positivity they gave to each other, encouraging each of their friends and telling them how sexy they were.

This was easily my favourite photos session this year and I’m so thankful you ladies found me!

It’s not every day I get to take Lethbridge professional wrestling photos, but this summer I found myself capturing the promotional photos for local wrestler Kenn Stevens. (This is such new ground for me that I’m not even sure what category to put this under on my blog!) Lethbridge may not have a big wrestling scene, but Kenn is the now the third person I know who takes part in this amazing form of entertainment! I have a couple friends who retired from the sport some time again so I’m glad to see it alive and doing well in new wrestlers.

For the past few years, I’ve participated in the Lethbridge Scenic Portrait Project as a model and decided to be on the photographer side this year. For the project, photographers, models, and makeup artists are randomly teamed up and tasked with creating a portrait utilizing the landscape of Alberta. The final images from each group are then judged by a team of experts.

My team was made up of the super talented model Sloan MacDonald and Kristen Mrazek for makeup so I knew we could come up with something amazing! The first thing that came to mind when I thought of the landscape in Alberta this year was what has been touched by the wild fires. I wanted to turn Sloan into a Waterton fire goddess and make use of the burned trees there.

Until now I’ve been focusing on the negative effects of the recent fires by using them in my post-apocalypse series, showing that the negative future we are warned about is already happening in small pockets. However, fires can be a natural part of forest regrowth. This was definitely reinforced by all the greenery I had to photograph around and hide from these shots! The ground around the burned trees has already responded so well to the fires and is full of wild flowers. With Sloan in the flowing red dress, I wanted to add beauty to the devastation that has occurred, just as nature will slowly add its own beauty back in.

A huge thank you to Sloan, Kristen, and Cam who dealt with some of the worst wind we have ever experienced in Waterton. (On the plus side, wind and this dress are a match made in heaven!)

(more…)

One day when we were driving home from a wedding in Waterton, I finally really noticed the old abandoned gas station on the highway. I have driven past it many times before, but there was something about this trip that made it finally connect in my brain. I’m always on the lookout for new ideas in my post apocalypse series. Seeing the gas station right after the Kenow Wildfires made everything click into place!

It’s a bit of a drive to take a model out there, so I took a chance and asked Cam. He was still sporting his mohawk which would be PERFECT for something like this. Cam hates having his photo taken so I was expecting something like, “Are you crazy?” or a firm no. Imagine my surprise when he agreed!

We patiently waited for the snow in Waterton to melt, and the little that was left behind looks like ashes. Everything worked so well together. The burned trees were a haunting but perfect setting for the atmosphere we wanted. The only props we brought along are the ones Cam is wearing or holding, but the locations provided us with amazing still life, which you will see below (I think the apocalypse must have happened in the 90s).

I had to hold off on sharing this for a while as I used the same forest as part of the Scenic Portrait Project. I’m so happy to finally share!

(more…)