Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

Raylan got a special photoshoot all to himself with his mom! Kenzie set up their autumn mother son photos on one of the most beautiful days we had last fall. Right from the beginning of the session, Raylan was one of the most smiley kids I’ve ever photographed! While he was usually happiest playing games or being swung around, he also had such sweet grins when he cuddled close to his mom.

Blake & Andrea wanted to celebrate their family being “complete” with the arrival of their twins, who were just shy of one year old for their photos. We did these family photos with twins in the Helen Schuler Nature Reserve on a warm autumn afternoon with lots of vibrant colours. Their big sister Ana especially had a blast during photos. The girl is a total extrovert and had tons of stories to tell me! I didn’t want all the focus to be on the twins and her be left out, so she got lots of time to twirl and dance, and throw leaves in the air.

Jen and Tim got all of their adult kids and grandchildren together for three generations of extended family photos. We hit the perfect date in autumn where the first batch of leaves in Indian Battle Park had turned orange, which doesn’t last for very long! They brought along the family dog Cooper, and their son and his partner even brought along their adventure cat!

Most of the session turned into an hour of playing for their two grandkids who were doted on by everyone there :)

Ashley and Stefan’s wedding may have set a new record for the amount of people crying at a wedding. I love all that emotion! Their Galt Museum ceremony and reception took place at the end of summer, where they travelled back to their hometown area of Lethbridge to be closer to family. This also meant access to gorgeous classic cars, and a stylized rental home for getting ready in!

It was such a pleasure to work with this family again. Although it was my first time meeting Ashley’s family, it was obvious why they are such a good fit with Stefan’s. Both families are so kind and welcoming, and also ready to break out into side splitting laughter. While listening to stories from early in Ashley and Stefan’s relationship, it was clear the couple prioritizes each other and knew what a perfect match they were right from the beginning. (Plus bonus points that they met how Cam and I met!)

Congratulations, Ashley and Stefan!

The year before, Hemali and Vishal’s children didn’t enjoy their family photos too much. The kids didn’t like the way the grass felt and my funny sounds were a total flop, so our crying to smiling ratio was not great. The parents were brave and decided to try again last year with a Lethbridge river bottom morning session. Something magical happened – the kids had a blast!

This time around the kids loved exploring the nature reserve. All of the paths were so fun to run through, and that made everything so much more relaxed for the adults!

At the end of the session, Vishal said, “Photos were actually fun this year!” ;)

I last saw Lejla when she was a flower girl at her aunt’s wedding, and I hardly recognized her all grown up! Lejla was now graduating high school and I was so happy to catch up with her family during her Galt Museum grad photos. Lejla selected an ornate mermaid-style purple grad dress, which looked so striking against her dark hair and the rich colours during golden hour.

Lejla wanted a bit of nature in her photos as well, so we started nearby at the High Level Bridge in Indian Battle Park. She was up for climbing onto anything for photos (with some family help) and was a natural in front of the camera, already knowing how she prefers to pose. It was hard not to get carried away and photograph her into the night (that particular colour of purple being a favourite of mine did not help this). Even the Lethbridge wind added an amazing element!