Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

Darby and Thomas met up with me on one of the only snowy days we had in February (which only translated into a muddy day by the time we got outside!) for some engagement photos in preparation for their wedding this summer. I met Thomas a few years ago at his sister Liz’s wedding, and Darby is such a great fit for him! They are both so laid back and kind, and it was such a treat working with them. (more…)

It’s time to finally introduce a project I’ll be working on over the next year, a disjointed set of images tied together only by the music that inspired them.

Each photo shoot is inspired, in some way, by a single AFI music video. I will keep going until each video of theirs, even if I don’t like the original, is complete. These are the only rules.

This project has been fermenting in my brain for quite a while, and after a desire built up to focus on learning more creative lighting, I decided it was definitely time to start! I have been a huge fan of AFI for many years and find their music to be so emotional and creativity-inducing (I usually play them when I need to power through photo editing, sew bellydance costumes, or anything else that needs a lot of creative input in very little time). Many of their videos have really interesting visuals and impactful lighting that I couldn’t resist dissecting. I’m also doing it to cope with the seemingly endless hiatus they’ve been on!

This particular photo shoot was the second I photographed, but the first I wanted to post. “The Days of the Phoenix” was the very first song I ever heard from AFI and therefore seemed fitting for the introduction.

Model: Stephanie Fieldberg
Video: The Days of the Phoenix by AFI

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So many expressions :)

It’s been over a year since I’ve seen Dominic, so I could barely recognize him with how much he’s grown since then! He was so laid back at our session… until we tried to play in the snow! He definitely feels the same way about winter as I do ;) (more…)

Kim and Danyel had a beautiful Canada Day wedding that I was so happy to be a part of. They are such a nice, laid back couple and very easy on the eyes! I really appreciate the trust they put in me throughout the day to just do my thing :)

Every part of the day ran flawlessly so we had tons of time for photos, yay! We stuck to the west side to keep away from all of the celebrating crowds and ended up with such gorgeous, intimate settings.

Congratulations, Kim and Danyel! (more…)

Stetson came to Lethbridge for his very first photos, joined by his mom and dad and super-adorable-curly-haired sister Cass. He’s growing quickly, but luckily still fit in his dad’s cowboy hat :) He was such an easy going baby that we were able to fly through the session! (more…)

Melanie and Doug came in from the Crowsnest Pass with their adorable boys Landon and Pearson, and we had quite a stroke of luck… during the photos it was warm and beautiful outside, but just a few hours later a horrible wind storm hit and my area of town was nearly evacuated for risk of fires! I’m very glad they had time in the morning for photos!

The boys did great (thanks to a few breaks where they could frantically run around) and Pearson’s toy truck saved the day in a few photos. It’s great to see brothers get along so well so that I can get them to hug without any fighting :) (more…)