Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

Elsa and Larry’s adorable interactions together stood out at a family member’s wedding last year when we first met them. I was so excited when they called me to photograph their own wedding. As I expected, they got even cuter when all the attention was on them! They were full of non-stop laughter during their Lethbridge winter engagement photos.

We chose the river bottom as their photo location because of the importance the area has to them. It’s been the location of their favourite dates and was where Larry popped the question. Elsa had a few spots in mind for their wedding photos later in the year, so we picked an alternative this time and ventured into the Helen Schuler Nature Reserve. It was such a gorgeous winter day, which was ironic since the wedding where I met them was much colder and snowier but in the autumn!

To celebrate their 5th anniversary, Renee and Dhrake had cute Henderson Lake couples photos done. Renee booked with me during our streak of -20C temperatures but we lucked out on their actual photo day. Despite still being January, it was like a sunny spring day!

Dhrake and Renee are adorable together and it didn’t take much to get them giggling and staring lovingly at each other. The couple came to Lethbridge together to both finish their schooling. They are so lucky they choose programs where they could be so close together!

Part 2 of the year in review features the portrait side of things!

The most exciting part of 2019 is that it was my 10th full year of being in business and I ran a bunch of fun giveaways. I’ve met a few of the winners, and can’t wait to photograph the rest of them next year!

It’s definitely hard this year to keep this post to a reasonable size with all of the fun things that have been in front of my camera. The year started off with a couples photo session turned marriage proposal (she said yes!).

I was able to photograph a few amazing performances (Diva Cabaret, A Streetcar Named Desire) and had a ton of fun with athletic shots with a Tae Kwon Do blackbelt and local wrestler.

Pets were wonderful as always, with a cat helping announce the arrival of a new baby, and being able to celebrate Louis the dog’s 10th birthday party with a picnic.

2019 was also the year of family reunions and landmark birthdays! Thelma was the record holder this year, celebrating her 100th birthday. Groupings of 20+ family members were common this year, making any families of 10 people seem itty bitty.

Because I’m not busy enough already, 2019 was my first full year being a member of a local BNI chapter (I’m crazy enough to have taken on the Vice President role of our chapter in October). This has led to creating great relationships with other local business owners and being able to create marketing photographs for them. The highlight of being a member came at the end of the year when I was referred to join an amazing trip to New York as the group’s photographer.

I hope you enjoy looking through our best portraits of 2019 as much as I liked choosing them!

Andrew invited me out to the cattle ranch where he works to have Diamond City couples photos with his girlfriend Nicole. I first met Andrew and Nicole two years ago when their close friends got married and we visited this same cattle ranch for photos. This time we weren’t constrained to where a limo could take them and got to off-road a bit!

The ranch is gorgeous! Coulees and the river form a U-shape around the ranch, giving us river access with tons of yellow wildflowers leading the way to the water. The cows curiously watched us for a few minutes then got bored. This posed a challenge when Andrew and Nicole actually wanted photos with the cows, but the animals all turned their backsides to us!

Nicole and Andrew are adorable together. This would have been a great date night if I hadn’t been the third wheel ;)

Nancy and Brett had their hearts set on the mountains for their session while still capturing rustic engagement photos. Coleman in the Crowsnest Pass had just the right feel for everything! After some woodsy vibes at the Miner’s Path, we went to the wide open valley that overlooks the mountains and then to downtown. They had one of their first dates in downtown Coleman near where we did the later portion of their photos. As soon as we arrived, they started smiling and reminiscing!

Despite having to get up early for the drive to the Crowsnest Pass, Nancy and Brett were so cheery and energetic. Their adoration for each other is almost contagious. Only a few minutes into our session, Nancy apologized: “Sorry if we’re kissing too much; we just can’t stop!”

A chilly spring engagement shoot with Sam, Brietta and their trusty side-kick, Bakon the Dog

A surprise April snowfall didn’t dampen Brietta’s spirits when I told her the forecast.

“I bought a dress,” Brietta said. “I am going to wear it anyways! Haha.”

I’ve known Brietta for a few years, I first met her when she was the Event & Volunteer Engagement Coordinator for the MS Walk when I did volunteer photography for the walk. Brietta’s fiery; a go-getter. So her resolve to embrace the moment didn’t surprise me one bit!