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!

Mackenzie was my earliest grad last year for her springtime graduation photos. Everything had only just bloomed in the river bottom so her photos were perfectly timed for spring. She was celebrating her high school convocation here in Lethbridge and her family captured the event with a photoshoot.

From far away, Mackenzie’s dress looked like a shimmery pink. Up close it had the most beautiful and intricate bead work designs, sheer panels as a base to some of the patterns, and the best part of all, pockets! (Brides are at an advantage that they get bouquets to hold for photos, but Mackenzie had the perfect spot to rest her hands.)

Mackenzie was wonderful to work with and up for anything… she had no qualms about climbing over logs or running in her dress!

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!

It’s time for another Ammena Dance Company production of An Explosion of World Dance & Music at the Yates, which also means a new poster design!

This year’s theme is “All You Need Is Love” to highlight how inclusive the studio is and how we have supported each other through the relationships built there. The theme proved challenging once Lise-Anne realized it was hard not to make it look Valentine’s themed and we both had to really brainstorm for the poster. My mind kept returning to the Beatles but Cam warned me not to go too far in that direction or else people would be very surprised when we don’t put on a 60s style show! I tried to let Yellow Submarine vibes come into the process without spending too long looking at Beatles art to go too far in that direction.

The Beatles style definitely came into play with the multiple image idea. Lise-Anne doesn’t like having her photo taken, and yet I somehow talked her into a concept that involved four photos! (By the time I pointed this out to her, it was too late! Ha!)

We have a big show anniversary coming up and Lise-Anne has displayed all of the past posters in the studio. After noticing how often we went with a dramatic dark or red accented theme (red is probably the most used dance costume color!), I had so much fun doing something so colorful and different!

“Hand in hand, with fairy grace,
Will we sing, and bless this place.”
-A Midsummer Night’s Dream

If you saw Shakespeare in the Park’s summer performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Lethbridge last year, you’ll definitely remember Titania, played by the talented Megan! Between the incredible presence she had as the character and how dreamy her whole look came together, I had to get her to step into the role one more time for a creative photoshoot.

I waited until the wall of leaves turned its vibrant red colour in the fall, knowing it would be a perfect match for Megan’s hair. And it was even more close than I expected!

The most important part of my vision was a light painting portrait once it was dark enough out. Megan and our helper Leslie were amazing and committed – it started snowing on us as soon as we arrived at the final location and I needed Megan to hold still! None of us could feel our hands by the end but it was worth it :)

Gown by Amanda Epp
Makeup by Leslie Van Zwol

???When I saw the birthday outfit Sadie put together for herself, I knew I had to get her in front of my camera for some goth Halloween vibes!? It had been way too long since I last worked with Sadie and I was waiting for just the right photoshoot to have her model for me again. (I love how different this was from our last one too!) I managed to squeeze her in during a golden hour for these goth styled portraits. While the initial goal of my photoshoot was to use some old film, I’m definitely glad I brought my mirrorless camera too.