Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

It seems to be becoming a tradition that when Marg and Craig get their family together for photos, the wind comes along too! We first experienced this in a big way for their daughter’s wedding in Waterton. A couple years later, the wind arrived just in time that morning. Luckily this left us with tons of leaves on the ground for the kids to play with during their Henderson Lake extended family session and the big trees at the park provided just enough shelter.

Marg and Craig’s children and grandkids traveled from around Alberta to be there for their morning photos in Lethbridge and everyone had so much fun playing together! The kids couldn’t decide if they should play with each other, with their aunts and uncles, or with Grandma and Grandpa, all of whom were showering them with attention.

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When Gary and Sylvia’s family booked their session, I was warned about two cranky boys: 1 year old Takeshi who was currently teething… and grandpa TJ who does not like having his photo taken! Ribfest over at Henderson Lake made us decide to switch over to Nicholas Sheran portraits. This was a great decision as we found a spot completely sheltered from the crazy wind that day!

The little boys loved climbing in the trees (so did their dad) and having sword fights with sticks. Grandpa TJ peacefully sat back and laughed at everyone having to chase the kids into photos.

This was a really special family session that allowed them to get four generations together in one photo.

p.s. Final assessment? None of the boys were very cranky :)

One of the best parts of summer is being able to move newborn sessions outside! Teegan and Tanner scheduled their outdoor newborn family photos just after Jaxton arrived.

Their adorable kids were so happy to welcome him to their home. His oldest sister begged for multiple chances to hold him in photos because she is so in love with him! Taking photos in the Helen Schuler nature reserve gave everyone chances to explore and take fun breaks when we spent some extra time focusing on Jaxton by himself and with mom and dad.

Steva celebrated turning 90 in a very special way with a combination birthday family reunion. With family members coming from out of town, everyone was able to reunite to celebrate this special lady’s momentous birthday.

The family all joined me in Indian Battle Park on this beautiful evening, and we took the opportunity to photograph each individual family as well as everyone together. Four generations got together for this birthday family reunion. Steva was able to get cute photos with her and all of her great grandchildren together.

Happy birthday, Steva!

Siblings Carter, Payton, Maddie, and Jase needed some updated photos (at least according to their mom!) so I went out to their grandma’s awesome farm for their Welling autumn children’s family photos. The kids love hanging out here and helped me find all kinds of neat hidden spots, like a rustic barn loft. Even though the wind had hit our region hard that day, the gorgeous mountain ash tree in the yard had held itself together. Any of the leaves that didn’t survive the afternoon made perfect leaf tossing arsenal!

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Jessica and Jaedon’s emotional moments with their new baby girl

When Jessica and Jaeden gave me the address for their in-home family photo session, I was surprised because I had no idea where it was! I’ve shot a lot of newborn photography around Lethbridge but I’d never seen this address before, or anything close to it.

When I arrived (with the help of Google Maps), their property took my breath away. The family lives at a prairie resort, with sweeping vistas and a gorgeous reservoir – a little slice of paradise they get to enjoy with their new baby girl, Clarke.

As we set up for the photoshoot, the newborn of the hour was sleeping like a lamb. Little Clarke looked like a china doll – and never made a peep!