Nicole Mlakar Photography Blog

Paisley pup } Dallas, Austin, Texas Pet Photographer

nicole — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:07:49 +0000

My last client from my Dallas travel sessions was a sweet little pup that goes by the name of Paisley. I hadn’t heard that name before so I was of course excited to meet the little doll that bared this sweet name. Paisley did not disappoint. She was a dainty, wirey haired bundle of fun with the sweetest little floral collar I had ever seen. Paisley was very happy to see me too and I just knew we would get along swimmingly. That is until I pulled out my camera or my “gigantic black box of doom” as I imagined Paisley must have thought. I wasn’t worried though. Given time, treats and lots of love Paisley was on board and we had a fine time. Paisley’s beautiful mom, Jennifer, and adorable dad, Andrew, joined in the fun and I absolutely love the end result. The lighting was magical that day and I am so happy that I had the opportunity to photograph this lovely family. Thank you Paisley, Jennifer and Andrew for a wonderful shoot.

Portfolio building portrait special } Ausin, TX Portrait Photographer

nicole — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:28:41 +0000

I’ve been toying with the idea of adding back people portraits to my business. Yes, I said “back.” Some of you may not realize that I actually started my photography business offering both family portraits and pet portraits. I decided to take my “people only” site off-line so I could focus on my true passion… pets and their people. In the past year I’ve taken on a few non-pet clients and I honestly forgot how much I enjoyed photographing families, especially babies and children. I’m not totally sure about re-opening this part of my business just yet but I thought further exploring the idea makes sense for me right now. So, I have decided to offer a special and limited time portfolio building session to anyone interested in a child or family session. For all the pet lovers reading this post, please know that pet photography is still my first love.

Here are the details on this special offer:

On-location session for children (ages 10 and younger) and their parents only.
The session includes up to 4 people – additional people can be added at $50 per person.
The session will last up to 3 hours and include up to 2 locations
You receive 30-35 fully edited images in both black/white and color.
One 8×10 print of your choice is included.
All images will be provided in high-res on a disc with printing rights.
Session may be scheduled in October of 2009 or January of 2010.

Please contact me for pricing and to schedule your session today!

What if I told you… } Austin, Texas Family Photographer

nicole — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:19:58 +0000

What if I told you that I might be opening up Nicole Mlakar Photography services to photograph more than just pets and their people? What if I told you that I would be photographing babies and kids and their parents… oh my! What if I told you that I would be discounting these sessions at a very special rate for a limited time and you would receive all the high-resolution files on disc? You with me? What would you say to that?

Daisy and Lucas } Dallas, TX Pet Photographer

nicole — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:57:24 +0000

Daisy and Lucas were two awesome pups from my Dallas travel sessions. Daisy is the light colored Shih-Poo that belongs to Esther and Lucas is the darker colored Shih-Poo that belongs to Alice. Luckily Esther and Alice are really good friends because it would be impossible to keep these two apart for long. Where Daisy goes Lucas follows and whatever Lucas is doing, well… you get the picture. They are pretty much inseparable and they are just oh so cute together. Thank you Esther, Alice, Daisy and Lucas for a wonderful shoot!

Hollis and her furry family } Dallas, TX Pet Photographer

nicole — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 04:29:18 +0000

This is the second in a series of four sessions I had in Dallas not too long ago. I met Hollis on Twitter and over several months found out that she is a huge animal advocate and she has quite the furry family. She posted a photo of her 15 yr old kitty, Sweetums, and I knew from that moment that we needed to get together for a shoot. I’d been wanting to photograph a Himalayan for some time so I was really excited about meeting Sweetums. Hollis also has two rescue Greyhounds, Clive and Maggie. Clive is a massive big teddy bear and Maggie is a very gentle and sweet girl. Maggie’s motherly instincts and nurturing spirit led Hollis to her fourth pet, a kitty named Little Bit. Maggie discovered Little Bit on a walk with Hollis. There was a spot on the walk that Maggie would not leave alone and Hollis didn’t see anything but what she thought was a dirty oily rag. That dirty oily rag turned out to be a little kitten that was on the brink of death. Hollis took the kitten home and with the help of Maggie nursed her back to health. To this day, Maggie and Little Bit are like mother and daughter. Adorable, I know!

We started our shoot at Bishop Arts District and then headed home for indoor shots with the kitties. It was a fabulous shoot and Hollis made my job a total dream because well… she’s got some experience in modeling and she’s gorgeous! Thank you to Hollis, Clive, Maggie, Sweetums and Little Bit for a really wonderful shoot.

This is Clive “rooing.” Which Greyhound lovers know is a magical Greyhound howling/singing. You can see Clive in action here.

Winston and family } Dallas, TX Pet Photographer

nicole — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 00:37:16 +0000

I recently traveled to Dallas for a series of client shoots. I’ve had tremendous interest in Dallas pet photo sessions so I was thrilled that I finally had the chance to bring this together. My first client was Winston but I was no stranger to this adorable pup. I photographed Winston with his lovely mom and dad last year in Austin. It was a wonderful session and I was beyond excited to get the opportunity to photograph this family again. This time however, there would be one extra little someone in the session… a little someone that will be arriving this Fall. That’s right! This family of three is going to be a family of four and there was no better time to capture this moment in their lives. I adore this family and I absolutely cannot wait to meet the newest member of their family.

There was this awesome teddy bear sculpture at nearby Lakeside Park. Winston fit in perfectly!

Buster & Tori } Austin, TX Dog Photographer

nicole — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 15:59:57 +0000

I met Buster and Tori for the first time at Mud Puppies, where they were hanging out for a day of play care. I was photographing some of the Mud Puppies pups for a fun new display in their shop. Tori was a doll and she just came right up to me with her happy little smile and big brown eyes and said “hello!!” Buster on the other hand was not having any of this. The more distance he could put between me and my camera the better. Yes, I can usually win over just about any dog with patience and treats but Buster was a bit of a challenge. Buster and Tori’s mom had also commissioned me for a personal portrait so it was kind of good to have a preview of the challenge Buster had in store for me. In the end, everything turned out wonderful. Buster’s dad gave him quite a few pep talks and we even pulled out a little Cabernet to calm his nerves (it’s not like it sounds… you’ll see!). Thank you to Buster, Tori, Teri and Stephen for a fabulous shoot.

Buster had one too many… ha, ha!

I’m pretty sure that every Texas dog should own a cowboy hat.

Schnauzer madness! } Austin, TX Pet Photographer

nicole — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:00:24 +0000

I’ve officially become the go-to photographer for all of Austin’s Schnauzer population. Ha! Well, maybe not ALL of Austin but I’ve definitely seen quite a few Schnauzers lately and I’m loving it! I especially loved this fabulous trio and was completely in awe of how well behaved they were. Dexter, Sophie and Addie were so very sweet, so very patient and so much fun. Their adorable mom, Tricia, helped make this shoot an absolute success. See for yourself…

Dexter is Tricia’s lover boy. Such a heart breaker.

Mabel and Zeke } Austin, TX Pet Photographer

nicole — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:00:10 +0000

I had the absolute best time photographing Mabel and Zeke. Mabel is like the extra furry version of my Ella. They are the same age, both very sweet, have the same soulful eyes and both have a lot of spunk. I always thought Ella had furry Grinch-like feet but Mabel definitely has her beat. She has long beautiful wispy hairs that cover her little padded feet. I just love Mabel! Now, Zeke was a total character. I think I laughed out loud several times while editing the pictures of Zeke. He has a million different expressions and they are all versions of what I like to call annoyance. He put up with me though and I got some pretty charming images of the little guy. I want to thank Mabel, Zeke, Andy and Teri for a wonderful session. You all are the best!

Gwen, Miley and their parents } Austin, TX Dog Photographer

nicole — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 14:30:51 +0000

You might hear the names Gwen and Miley and immediately conjure up an image of two pretty famous female pop stars. What you may not realize is that there are two other divas out there with the same namesake. The fabulous female Schnauzers, Gwen and Miley, are pretty popular in their own circle and definitely know how to work the room. These girls are well loved and cared for by their equally fabulous parents, Jim and Edward. Jim and Edward are devoted to these two cuties and their love for dogs goes well beyond caring for Miss Gwen and Miley. They are part owners of Mud Puppies, a dog haven in North Austin that offers self-serve dog washes, grooming, dog boarding and play care. You should definitely check this place out!

I had the great pleasure of photographing Jim, Edward and the Gwen/Miley diva duo. Enjoy!