Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

Marija and Cooper chose a special spot for their river bottom winter maternity photos. The location was right next to Marija’s parents’ home with no public access and opened to a beautiful calm area of the Oldman River. While she had been hoping for a winter wonderland, Marija’s long green dress and red shoes still looked amazing with the muted warm colours – and maternity photos aren’t really something you can schedule to wait for the right weather ;)

They brought their very high energy dog Ellie along for the photoshoot. She spent most of the time excitedly zooming from stick to stick, pausing occasionally to pose for a photo. She definitely “enhanced” a few photos when she accidentally popped in!

Jessica and Tyler wanted to announce their pregnancy to Jessica’s family in a very memorable way. These surprise maternity announcement photos were disguised as a family session with Jessica’s parents. A few friends joined at the end to supposedly help with a photo for the couple’s wedding invitations. That’s when the big reveal came!

The couple travelled to Jessica’s hometown of the Crowsnest Pass to tell her parents the big news. She made the excuse that they needed updated family photos, so we spent the first part of the session doing just that! We went to the Miner’s Path with their dogs Trip and Chloe and acted like everything was totally normal. I had to try so hard not to laugh when Jessica’s mom told me the dogs were her grandkids because that’s all Jessica was giving her!

Just before the polar vortex hit Lethbridge, it was welcomed in by a heavy blizzard. This happened to be exactly when Lindsay’s maternity photoshoot was booked! We decided to press on since her husband Terry was only back from work for a few more days (and -15C with snow sounded a lot better than -40C!). She ended up with some very snowy Pavan Park maternity photos.

In the beginning, the snow was so thick I could barely see them! Luckily it calmed down just enough to make the photos so wintery and dreamy. Lindsay was committed to her vision and took her huge coat off for photos. The colourful dress looked so amazing in the snow. Her maternity photoshoot will truly be a memorable experience!

I love seeing my past wedding clients growing their families! Vanessa and Robbie made a day trip down for their Waterton winter maternity session. This was one of the rare times I got to photograph snow this winter, so I appreciated it despite the freezing temperatures! Vanessa herself was super brave to strip down to her dress and no coat a few times. It helped that they came prepared with mochas to warm up on!

We adventured through what was open in the park. Luckily we were able to access nearly everything since Waterton didn’t yet have snow up to the rooftops! We set up a little mocha picnic on one of the snowy trails and confused a few hikers.

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!

Iris and Gerald had an Indian Battle Park maternity session during golden hour in the Lethbridge river bottom, with their dog Luna. I started off the session focusing on beautiful mom-to-be Iris while Gerald went to pick up Luna. Iris handled her baby bump like a pro, gladly climbing over logs and through bushes to get to the best spots. Her and Gerald picked a very special day to do their maternity photos – their wedding anniversary day! It was a great way to celebrate the next chapter of their lives together.