Nicole Mlakar Photography Blog

Austin, Texas: On-Location, natural light photographer. Photographing pets and their people.

Welcome to my blog!

Hello and welcome to the Nicole Mlakar Photography blog. I am Nicole Mlakar-Livingston and I am a lifestyle photographer in Austin, Texas. I specialize in on-location portrait photography of pets and their people. You will find the latest news and recent photo sessions on this blog.

When you are ready for more information on how to book a session, there is a link to my website in the menu above.

Have fun, browse around and be sure to leave comments if you like what you see. My pet clients love their comments. It makes them purrrr and howl with delight! ;)

Aug 04 2010

Winston and family } Dallas, TX Pet Photographer

Posted in Babies, Dogs, Lifestyle Portraits, Pet Portraits

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!

by nicole

4 comments

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Erica - I LOVE this shoot!!

sarah - the second one on the bed is wonderful. and holy cow that’s a big teddy bear!!

heather - love love love the teddy bear shots!!!!!

Grace - ADORABLE! I love the last shot of him looking so tiny against the big giant bear!

Jul 31 2010

Buster & Tori } Austin, TX Dog Photographer

Posted in Dogs, Lifestyle Portraits, Pet Portraits

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.

by nicole

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alexa - The cowboy hats are SO CUTE! Wow, what an awesome session.

alexa - The cowboy hats are SO CUTE!! What an awesome session.

claire - i will always have a soft spot in my heart for dogs wearing hats.

Edward - I LOVE BUSTER AND TORI!!!

Erica - OMG that cowboy hat!!! hee hee!!! I love it!! These are beautimous!!! …And I adore the b/w of Mom and pup in the rocking chair.

leesia - what faces!! great session — tori has the most expressive eyes.

Teri - The doggies look adorable… you sure know how to capture them at the perfect moment.

Jul 27 2010

Schnauzer madness! } Austin, TX Pet Photographer

Posted in Dogs, Lifestyle Portraits, Pet Portraits

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.

by nicole

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Denise - Awesome job with these 4! (love my daughter & grandpups!)

leesia - gorgeous, amazing light. you are rocking these schnauzer sessions!!

Tricia Owens - Love these! LOVE them.

alexa - What sweethearts! I’m lovin all these Schnauzer sessions.

Danelle - Adorable!! I love how you captured the love of both the mom and the little ones. Very special.

heather - stunning photos, as always.

sarah - aaahhh!!!! schnauzers everywhere!! LOVE this shoot, especially the close up of dexter and his mom.

Jul 20 2010

Mabel and Zeke } Austin, TX Pet Photographer

Posted in Dogs, Pet Portraits

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!

by nicole

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claire - you are on a roll, girl!
love how clean + crisp all of these are.

Julianna Koh - Beautiful, beautiful shots!
Mabel and Zeke are so adorable.

alexa - I ADORE the kitty feet on the colorful mat. Great session!

sarah - omg, i laughed out loud at the cat “lounging” in his dad’s lap! love it.

Grace - That fat cat is adorable – those facial expressions! – and I LOVE the grinch feet! Never would have described it that way before but it’s perfect!

Jul 13 2010

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

Posted in Dogs, Lifestyle Portraits, Pet Portraits

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!