Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

Vacationing more locally has surged in popularity (which is no surprise considering our circumstances!). Cheryl and Larry wanted to create special camping memories for their family, so they packed up their RV with their boys and headed south to Waterton. On one of their trips to the national park this summer, they made time one afternoon for a Waterton family photo session.

The family met me at the Prince of Wales on their bicycles. I’m sure all the tourists thought I was insane as I yelled about birds pooping on my head, but I’ll do whatever the kids find the funniest! The boys were also supposed to watch for the ghost behind me (they are currently into Scooby Doo in a big way, and if there’s going to be a ghost in Waterton, I’m sure it would live at the Prince of Wales).

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).

Chris and Richard planned for High Level Bridge multi-generation family photos while their family was visiting for the weekend. These photos were long overdue since it had been 13 years since their last family session!

Many family members have moved away from Lethbridge, but still have a fondness for the city’s biggest landmark. The river bottom along the Lethbridge Viaduct was therefore the best place to choose for photos.

Their family came prepared with lots of fun props, including the big picture frame they could use to show off their children and grandkids!

Odessa and her family wanted to update their family photos to celebrate their move to the city. They thought it would be fun to have something iconic to Lethbridge in their photos, and what could be more Lethbridge than the high level bridge?

We worked out a date when Odessa’s oldest son was visiting from university. The younger twins had a blast hanging out with their big brother again. The three of them had competitions of jumping over posts in the park, took turns giving each other piggyback rides, and enjoyed climbing on the bridge even when it wasn’t part of the photos.

Their family has such an amazing connection to each other, making the photo session feel more like a playful outing than an actual photoshoot!

To celebrate their parents’ 40th wedding anniversary, Chris and Len’s children and grandchildren made a special trip back home. This would be a great time for photos! They spent some time debating where to do their session, and finally decided on Picture Butte farm photos at the family’s home. This meant an easy day for the grandkids not needing to travel, adding an extra layer of sentimental value to their photos, and having the beautiful grove of trees as a backdrop!

The kids resisted the lure of the play area just long enough for the groups we needed, mostly thanks to help from their moms to keep them occupied and happy in between poses. As soon as they were out of the frame, the kids could be found jumping around and climbing on the trees.

Chris and Len beamed with pride watching their family play. They wouldn’t have wanted to celebrate their anniversary any other way!

Ostara got all dressed up for her six month baby photos with a special flower crown designed by BLOOMdiggity. We did the photos down in Indian Battle Park where the bright colours in her crown really popped against the lush spring greens. Ostara loved getting hugs and kisses from her mom and dad. She totally embraced being adorned in a crown!