Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

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!

Melinda’s secret plan to propose to her boyfriend Gage during their session turned into an even bigger surprise for her with double proposal engagement photos!

As far as Gage knew (or so we thought), he and Melinda were going to have a couples photoshoot in the river bottom…

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.

Sonny turned the exciting age of 70 this year and was able to break his birthday into several small celebrations to practice social distancing and keep group sizes down. For one of these celebrations, he booked Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden autumn portraits with his wife Kimiko for the final weekend the garden was open for the season.

Everything aligned perfectly for us! The colours were extra vibrant this year, there wasn’t a hint of wind, and Sonny’s actual birthday happened to coincide with this beautiful day. Sonny and Kimiko are adorable together after nearly 50 years of marriage, and their garden host and I shared in the delight of watching the couple giggle and embrace.

I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to spend this extra time at Nikka Yuko this year. (One of my hobbies is taiko drumming, and we got to be the final performance of the season!) The garden is by far one of the most beautiful places in Lethbridge, and I can’t decide if I like the fall colours or spring blossom season more!

Natasha followed the advice to find someone who makes you laugh in her relationship with Ernest. During their Japanese Garden engagement session, Ernest never went more than a few minutes without cracking a joke and making Natasha (and me) laugh!

I first met Natasha through her work. She is an amazing florist in Calgary who owns Flower Aura by Natasha, so it was fitting many of the flowers in the garden were still in bloom.

Nikka Yuko is currently offering photoshoots outside of regular garden hours to better accommodate social distancing. This meant we had a super private photoshoot and walking tour of the Japanese Garden with not a single person around! It was definitely worth the couple making the drive down for the day to take advantage of this gorgeous spot.

As his days with his family draw shorter, Carlos was honoured with a special pet session. This beautiful Lethbridge Great Dane has set out to prove his vet wrong and has already made it years past what he was diagnosed! Not taking any chances, his extended family treated his human mom and dad to the gift of pet photos while he’s still full of vitality.