Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

Annie was one of the university grads who lost their chance at an in person graduation due to COVID. This year the University of Lethbridge added a bonus convocation for students like Annie who graduated before 2022 so they could still walk up and accept their degrees, which was so awesome! It was great to see her again for her U of L convocation photography session. This was not our first time working together, but it was the first time being able to focus so much on her!

Her family members who came to cheer her on also took part in a few photos, most notably her husband who was a huge support while she took classes. When you have a child, getting a degree is a group effort!

The U of L had all of its normal convocations again, much to the delight of all the students who spent a lot of time learning online. Valerie made a long trip south to Lethbridge to attend her graduation in person with her proud family along for support. For her University of Lethbridge graduation session, we met just after her ceremony and then wandered around the campus to hit all the best photo spots.

Valerie attended the Calgary campus so she never had a chance to grow tired of the Lethbridge campus’s architecture. We made sure to cover a few of the landmarks at the university like University Hall and the Aperture sculpture in the bus loop. Valerie came prepared with a backup pair of walking shoes so I didn’t have to make her hike around in her heels ;)

Good luck on the next leg of your education, Valerie!

Elaine and Kris celebrated 20 years of marriage with a University of Lethbridge anniversary photoshoot. They first met in the science labs at the university so they included that in the theme of the photos with lab coats and goggles! Kris got us special access to the Science Commons building at the U of L so we could make use of the periodic table display to go with the science/lab theme.

We did some non-science photos as well since such an important wedding anniversary shouldn’t be all wrapped in a theme! The campus has so many great spots so we made use of the gathering areas in the building as well as checking out the coulees.

Congratulations on this special anniversary, Elaine and Kris! :)

Congratulations to the nursing grads of 2021/22! The University of Lethbridge was finally able to have in-person convocation ceremonies again and the nursing class was able to have their pinning ceremony. The event was held in the ballroom at the university with graduates, faculty members, and their family in attendance.

This year’s graduates had unique challenges during their education. Their time at school saw a pandemic, online classes, and a faculty strike. Making it this far was even more of an accomplishment than any of them had anticipated.

Thank you for having me photograph your University of Lethbridge Nursing Faculty pinning ceremony!

Katon was in need of some new headshots and professional but casual portraits when he contacted me to do his photoshoot. It’s not super often that I get to do a session that is exclusively men’s portraiture, but I love this change from working with families!

I love taking photos at the University of Lethbridge campus because it offers such a great mix of urban and nature locations right next to each other. The urban look was more of what Katon was going for and primarily chose in the end, but I couldn’t resist how great the foliage looked with the autumn colours.

For individual portraits, I always recommend bringing at least two outfits. Katon chose a great contrasting set, including both a more formal dressed up look, as well as a casual look that showed off his tattoos.

Torrince enjoys the company of her family, some close friends and the limelight at her Lethbridge graduation celebration

Torrince’s hair was swept up with tiny jewels sparkling inside it. Her makeup was smooth, her eyes smokey, and when I asked her to strike a pose, she moved with ease – like she’d been doing it her whole life! Like a young, Hollywood starlet, Torrince was a natural in front of the camera, and as her parents (dad, Quentin and step-mom, April) proudly looked on, it was all they could do to keep from tearing up throughout their daughter’s high school graduation portrait session – which did happen once or twice :).