Austin, Texas: On-Location, natural light photographer. Photographing pets and the people who love them.

Bethany Giannini - These photos are fantastic! I have seen other gunshot cases in both dogs and cats and I just can’t understand what kind of person would do such an inhumane thing. He is a lucky boy to have been given a second chance and found such a good home.

Gail Zeak - OMG! What a couple of handsome little devils!

sue fowle - I was one of the first people to meet Ollie when he was brought home from Boston, and yes he is a crazy one, but very special.
Love these pictures! Great job!

DVMsWife - He is so handsome! What a special boy! You captured him perfectly. Love these.

Apr 07 2011

Bo Diddley } Austin, Texas Pet Photographer

This Bo Diddley might not play a mean guitar but he sure can win you over with his charming good looks. Meet Bo Diddley, the cover dog for the Spring issue of HauteDog Magazine. I met Bo at the Austin Speed Shop, an Austin based custom car shop that builds some of the most amazing hot rods and custom cars around. Bo spends most of his days hanging out with the staff and bringing a smile to the face of just about anyone that stops by. Life before the Speed Shop wasn’t so great though. Bo was found on the street by the Speed Shop Manager Rocco and his wife. They turned him over to the local shelter in hopes that someone would claim him. Unfortunately, no owner was ever found and Bo sat in the shelter for way too long and was at risk of being put down. The local Love-A-Bull Pit Bull Rescue stepped in to help but ultimately Rocco and Bob, a Speed Shop hot rod builder, decided to just bring him to the shop and figure it out from there.

The rest is history as they say. Bo now spends his days at the Speed Shop and spends his nights with Bob and his wife Laura. Laura has spent time training Bo and she’s done a really fantastic job with him. He knows so many commands and is such a well mannered and sweet boy. Thank you to Bo, Rocco, Laura and the whole Speed Shop crew for a wonderful shoot. It was a real pleasure!

Nicole Mlakar Photography provides lifestyle photography for pets and the people who love them. Available in Austin, TX and beyond.

by nicole

8 comments

Mia Baker - Wow so handsome! Great shots. Love the location.

Ian J - Oh my! Look at him! He is super duper gorgeous, i’d love to give him a big hug, he looks really dopey!

Laura Merkt - All the pic’s look great. You did a great job with him. Thanks for making Bo a rock star

Paul K. - Great, his ego is probably through the roof now..

John Jackson - It was hard enough to get a appointment to see Bo before, and now that he is a cover dog I can only imagine

Marion Rocco - These photos of Bo are so beautiful! Wonderful, wonderful.

Caroline - Love the last picture! It’s my favorite!!!

Summer H. - What a handsome boy! He looks like he was made for the hot-rod lifestyle.

Mar 30 2011

Wembley and Marley } Austin, Texas Pet Photographer

Wembley and Marley are Wirehaired Pointing Griffons. Well, Marley’s got a little extra something mixed in which of course makes her extra special. They both are amazingly talented pups. Wembley is an AKC champion show and hunting dog. He comes from a long line of very prestigious field and show Griffons. Marley was rescued from a kill shelter and had been badly abused and neglected. She made a full recovery within one year and now works as a search and rescue dog helping law enforcement locate missing people and investigate crime scenes.

These two are the heart and soul of their parents, Joel and Kristy. It was really something special to capture the beautiful connection between Joel and his two best friends. You could absolutely see how much love and respect he has for Wembley and Marley and vice versa.

This shot seriously cracks me up.

by nicole

2 comments

alexa - What a great session! Those two are just adorable with their eyes. What cute expressions.

johnwaire - beautiful dogs. awesome job capturing the connection between joel and his 2 best friends! you rock nicole.

Mar 22 2011

Lucky } Austin, Texas Pet Photographer

I was told that Lucky had been recently diagnosed with diabetes and may not live much longer. Coco’s husband wanted to surprise her with a gift of a photo session that would be a memorable keepsake of her sweet boy. I arrived to a rather frail Lucky, but he still had plenty of spunk and he thoroughly enjoyed the catnip I had on ample supply. I spent some time getting to know Lucky and checking out some of his favorite spots around his home. After the shoot, Coco told me that Lucky seemed to be doing fairly well and back to his old self. I was happy to hear that and hopeful that they would continue to have more time together. Unfortunately, I received word yesterday that Lucky’s kidneys are failing and that he would only be with them for another day or two. Coco went on to write, “I can’t thank you enough for the most WONDERFUL photos you took of him and us together. We have them hanging in our living room and it’s such a beautiful way to always remember him.”

I’m so glad I was able to meet Lucky and provide Coco and her family a lasting memory. My thoughts and heart go out to them.

This was one of those split second moments and I’m go glad I caught it. Coco’s son Chance and Lucky.

May you find peace sweet boy and a never ending supply of catnip.

Nicole Mlakar Photography is a lifestyle photographer for pets and the people who love them. Available in Austin, TX and beyond.

by nicole

4 comments

Bethany Giannini - I love the last two photos – especially the one with Chance. Lucky looks like a nice guy who loves people. My heart goes out to his family.

Jenna - What a beautiful boy! My thoughts are with his family.

Mel Hammonds - Lucky is a beautiful cat. So great that they have these images! I am a fellow pet photog and Texas neighbor to you down in Houston…you have some beautiful work. And isn’t it wonderful to be able to provide people with a meaningful way to remember their pets!

amber snow - so cute! cats are adorable. if they didn’t shed and weren’t so prissy I may have 5 of them.

Mar 10 2011

The Austin Dogtown crew } Austin, TX Pet Photographer

Becca is the owner of Austin Dogtown, a boarding and playcare facility in Austin, TX of course. I was really excited to meet Becca because I had heard so many great things about her and her work with Austin Dogtown. She told me all about her three dogs and gave me a little back story on each of them. There was Leah, the black Lab mix, who is the youngest of the three and loves squeaky toys. Bella, the scruffy terrier mix, who is the middle child and enjoys being the momma’s girl. Then there was Gypsy, the 9 yr old reddish/tan girl, who is as sweet as can be. Becca mentioned that Gypsy’s age was one of the reasons she contacted me for the shoot and I am so very glad that she did.

I met them all on a early Saturday morning and I had such a great time getting to meet this fun loving crew. These three get along like peas and carrots. You would think they’ve been around each other their whole lives. It was such a joy to be able to photograph these pups and their special bond they have with their mom. I’ve been wanting to blog about this session for quite some time so I’m thrilled to finally share these images with you all. This session produced some of my favorite photos to date and I had such a great time getting to meet Becca and her pups.

by nicole

6 comments