Nicole Mlakar Photography - Austin, Texas Lifestyle Photographer for pets and the people who love them.

Sam and Taz

nicole — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 05:27:14 +0000

The location of this shoot was in Walburg, TX. I had never been to Walburg but it is a very nice little quiet town not too far from Austin. On the way out to my client’s home I spotted a beautiful longhorn standing next to a watering hole. I of course had to stop and get a shot… with my iPhone!! Ha! I was in a hurry and well the iPhone is oh so quick so it was good enough for me. I’ve included the shot for you below!

After snapping a few shots of the nice longhorn I headed out to meet my clients and their Yorkshire Terriers, Sam and Taz. What can I say about Sam and Taz? They were personality packed and full of energy as most Yorkies are. What I loved the most was their distinctly different personalities. Sam was more reserved and a bit stand offish but he loved his momma and would give her kisses all day long. Taz was the fun loving and crazy wild man who would fight off a bear if it tried to grab his bully stick. So, that should give you a little insight into who’s who. Sharon and Randall joined in the fun and we captured some really lovely moments of them as a family. I had such a great time with these sweet pups and their parents. Thank you Sharon, Randall, Sam and Taz for a really great shoot.

Nicole Mlakar-Livingston is a photographer in Austin, Texas. She provides lifestyle photography for pets and the people who love them. Specializing in dog and cat photography. Available for editorial and commercial assignments.

Dixie and Zabul

nicole — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:36:08 +0000

Finally getting to blog one of the many shoots I had in late 2011. I’ve got a little catching up to do! Have I told you how much I love seeing guys loving on their dogs? Seriously, it makes my heart turn into a pile of mush. So, yea there was some of that going on in this shoot. Then there’s the gorgeous Kristen who is just… well, gorgeous. These two proud parents love their sweet pups Dixie and Zabul and it shows. Dixie, the spunky Terrier, was a firecracker but she eventually calmed down after she realized that I just wasn’t going away. Ha! Zabul, the Australian Shepard, was just as wiggly and wild but he hung out for a quick portrait every now and then. We had a great time hanging out at Zabul’s training grounds and then we headed back to the house so the pups could chill. Thanks Kristen, Josh, Zabul and Dixie for a wonderful shoot.

Nicole Mlakar-Livingston provides lifestyle photography for pets and the people who love them. Specializing in dog and cat photography. Available for editorial and commercial assignments.

Austin’s “Most Awesome-ist” Pet Photographer

nicole — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:39:15 +0000

Just want to say thank you to everyone who voted for me in the Austin Pets Directory yearly contest. I received the honor of Austin’s “Most Awesome-ist” Pet Photographer for the 3rd year in a row!! Oh and my adorable clients Patron and Rosco are on the cover. Needless to say I feel pretty awesome! xoxo

Molly and Olive } Austin, TX Dog / Pet Photographer

nicole — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:47:55 +0000

I always know a session is going to be a little extra heartfelt when I read my clients comments on their client interview. Laura’s comment about her 7 1/2 year old Weimaraner, Molly, had me choked up. She wrote about how Molly had come into her life at a time when she really needed a companion and that she could not imagine her life without her. “I would walk through fire for her and do absolutely anthing to make sure I never have to lose her.” I knew how Laura felt. I know a lot of us can relate. Your sweet life companion and best friend starts to age, starts to slow down and maybe even becomes ill. It’s nothing any of us want to consider and it’s even harder to come to grips with. You just make sure that you cherish every day and enjoy all the wonderful moments here and now. So, Laura decided it was time to capture these moments with Molly and her newly adopted Weimaraner Olive. It was a joy getting to know these two lovely pups and capturing their beautiful family.

Rex is the 2011 Austin Pets Alive Photo Contest Winner!

nicole — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:21:39 +0000

Happy New Year!! I had a wonderful holiday and am ready for an awesome 2012! I hope you all had a great holiday and fantastic start to the new year too. Rex is going to start off our first blog post of the new year. This handsome Doberman is the winner of the 2011 Austin Pets Alive photo contest. There were several entrants for the contest and they all helped raise over $4700 for APA. Rex came out on top with the most votes totaling over $1200 in donations. The grand prize included a photo shoot with me which resulted in an ad that will appear in the January issue of Austin Women’s Magazine and Austin Pets Directory.

I met up with Rex, his brother Romeo and his beautiful mommy Betsy right before the holidays for our session. I had never photographed Dobermans before so I was particularly excited about this opportunity and Rex did not disappoint. He is such a good looking boy and quite the model. He really knew how to work his angles. Ha! I promised Betsy I would snap a few shots of Rex’s brother, Romeo, even though I was warned he might be too shy. Luckily, Romeo warmed up to me and we got some really awesome shots of the whole family.

Major thanks to Austin Pets Alive for including me in this fundraising opportunity and for all they do for animal welfare. Also a huge thanks to Austin Women’s Magazine and Austin Pets Directory for donating ad space in support of this contest. Finally, thanks to Rex, Romeo and Betsy for a really wonderful shoot!

I’ll end with a small sampling of the many faces of Rex.

Happy Holidays to all!!

nicole — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 03:21:18 +0000

The holidays are upon us and the year is coming to a close. I can hardly believe it!! I have had an amazing year filled with fantastic clients and wonderful support from family, friends and the Austin community. I just could not be more thankful. I hope each and every one of you has a very happy holiday and a great new year! Here’s to 2012! Let’s make it awesome!! * with lots of exclamation points!!! ha! *

Rufus!! } Austin, Texas Pet / Dog Photographer

nicole — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 04:00:22 +0000

Sorry for the lull in blog posts. As you can imagine I’ve been crazy busy but I’m back and I’ve got a ridiculously awesome session to share with you! This adorable English Bulldog is Rufus and he is one handsome little devil. It took all of 5 seconds for Rufus to make me fall in love with him. First off I have never seen a Bulldog with such an amazing coat before. It’s this beautiful shade of red but it’s also super soft and silky. Then there’s the spunky energy and charm which Rufus has so much of! The session was to celebrate Rufus’ 3rd birthday and I’m here to tell you we made sure to commemorate Rufus in all his glory. I had such a great time getting to know this family and capturing some truly special images that I am sure they will cherish forever.

Thank you Laura, Brad and Rufus for a wonderful session!

Perry, Honey & Noni } Austin, TX Dog / Pet Photographer

nicole — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:07:09 +0000

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I have a new blog post to share with you all before the holiday fun. This family was such a joy to photograph and we had a great time capturing some truly memorable moments. Perry is the Jack Russell/Rat Terrier Mix and he is a super sweetie pie and lover boy. Noni is the White Pit Bull Mix and she is the apple of her daddy’s eye. Honey, is the newest addition to the family, and she is an adorable Pit Bull Mix that has fit into her new home quite nicely. Ron and Joan adore their pups and we definitely captured this in their shoot. Thank you Ron, Joan, Perry, Honey and Noni for a wonderful session.

Hope you all have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Dalton is dashing } Austin, TX Pet / Dog Photographer

nicole — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 01:04:39 +0000

Dalton is the man of many faces. Seriously this handsome Weimaraner probably gave me 20 different facial expressions during our shoot. There was pensive Dalton, then serious Dalton, then silly Dalton, then sweet Dalton and on and on. I had such a great time photographing this dashing boy and his lovely parents at their beautiful hill country home. We utilized their gorgeous property and creek for many of the images and it was such a delight. Dalton showed me all around the property and led the way to his favorite spots. I had a really wonderful time with Dalton and his family. Thank you Dalton, Kristy and Aric for a lovely shoot!

There’s nobody here but us chickens } Austin, TX Lifestyle Photographer

nicole — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:30:16 +0000

I had wanted to photograph my friend Levi’s chickens every since he first got them when they were wee little chicks. Chickens grow fast though and time slipped away so by the time I finally made plans for a shoot they were no longer chicks they were chicken teenagers. Fully grown chicken teenagers that were running around, scratching up mulch and just being plain old silly. From the moment I started shooting I knew this was going to be way too much fun. We even got some awesome shots of Levi with his chickens, and a few with his wife Evette, in the house! Chickens in the house!!

Levi used one of the images for his new profile on the Paloma Botanical Beauty Parlour website, a beauty salon right here in Austin that he owns with his wife. I think it suits him quite nicely.

Needless to say I will be photographing these chickens again and again! I think it may become a new obsession. Ha!