Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

Martha is a very dear friend of one of my favorite university professors that I’ve ever had. I’ve seen so many photos of her and heard so many of their adventures that I almost felt like I knew her before I met her! As part of her graduation gift, Martha’s friend treated her to convocation portraits. This year Martha accomplished the huge achievement of graduating with a University of Lethbridge Masters Degree in Environmental Science.

We did the photos at the University of Lethbridge to honour the hard work she put in on campus. However, Martha was feeling a little done with her studies by that point so we stuck to more of the natural landscape around the university rather than looking at the buildings. The lilacs are amazing this year and were still in bloom on campus so we took full advantage of them.

Upon meeting Martha you can immediately sense how kind and positive she is. This was even more apparent in how happy she looked wearing several layers with her cap and gown in the heat! It was super hot that day – unbelievably so! – but Martha was full of smiles and laughter.

Congratulations on your graduation, Martha!

Tyler booked her Lethbridge high school graduation portraits many months in advance so I’ve been looking forward to them quite some time! I love seeing the dresses graduates choose for their big day. This important article of clothing always shows so much personality.

Tyler’s photoshoot was a great trial run for her actual grad, giving her a chance to test out hair and makeup and break in her shoes. If you can walk in high heels over the soft ground of a park, walking inside a building should be a breeze! She chose such a gorgeous red dress for her grad with a high neck sparkly detail, open back, and leg slit on one side. It looked like a gown made for fancy cocktail parties!

We went to the park by the university and mostly managed to avoid the wind by hiding the in trees. Unfortunately our second location I picked out was not so sheltered! We worked quickly there as even the chair was blowing away if Tyler wasn’t holding it down :)

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Part 2 of the year in review features the portrait side of things! This year marked a few firsts, including my first bunny session and my first family dressed in Batman costumes. I had so much fun with every group I worked with. Thank you for letting me bring your personalities out in your photo sessions!

This year for portraits I stayed pretty local in Lethbridge, but also took a few special trips to the Crowsnest Pass, Waterton, Claresholm, and Magrath. The yearend marks a very special occasion – the 10th anniversary of when I started my business! So many of the people in these photos have been with me for years and I couldn’t have made it this far without their love and support.

I hope you enjoy looking through our best portraits of 2018 as much as I liked choosing them!

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This spring I got to meet a bunch of amazing students from the 2017 graduating class for their Calvin Christian High School grad photos. We started in the morning at the Norland Bed and Breakfast. I was impressed with how organized they all were, arriving in shifts so they could perfectly time hair and makeup around breakfast and their early graduation ceremony. The girls had such gorgeous, colourful dresses and every colour showed up at least once!

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I started out the U of L grad week with the lovely Michelle who was celebrating her newly acquired degree! Michelle and her family came back to the city for her convocation and University of Lethbridge graduation photos. To avoid being rushed we did her session the night before grad, which I think was a fantastic move as convocation day is so crazy! Her mom and dad (mostly dad) tried their best to embarrass her during the photos but Michelle would have none of that ;) After her cap and gown photos around the university campus, we headed over to Aperture Park for more casual portraits. The rain tried to threaten us but instead we had a beautiful evening!

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I met up with Bert, his wife Geraldine, and their five beautiful children for his University of Lethbridge convocation photos immediately after his graduation ceremony finished. Bert’s family was buzzing with excitement over his accomplishment, and his sisters were so excited they couldn’t stop hugging him! To celebrate his achievement, we wandered around the U of L campus that afternoon for family portraits. It was such a beautiful day, though that’s not the kind of day you want to be wearing a heavy black robe ;)

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