"The Value of Home" Choosing a location for your family portraits {Austin, TX and Santa Fe, NM children and pet photographer}

Choosing a location for your family, children, or pet portraits, is imperative to obtaining the most meaningful and genuine photographs. I specialize in on-location children and pet portrait sessions in Austin, Texas and Santa Fe, New Mexico. By "on location" I mean that I do not currently have a studio wherein clients come to me to have their portrait created on a background using props. Sometimes clients specifically request the look of a seamless background and I am more than happy to accommodate and bring necessary equipment on location. When a client and I discuss options for location, I always suggest photographing at their home. In-home sessions are more personal than studio sessions and offers a more comfortable environment for everyone–the children, pets and adults. As an on-location photographer I have to transport my equipment to the client, which is a lot of work, but it's worth it for me to ensure that I am obtaining genuine imagery and capturing honest portraits.

The house never has to be immaculately clean or perfect in order to have a portrait session there. I can always work around toys, etc.! Your home is where you and your loved ones are most comfortable; where many memories are created and where you share in experiences with your loved ones. As time moves forward and surroundings inevitably change, you can view the photographs and immediately access that exact moment in your family's life. This is powerful.

So when you choose the location for your next portrait session, consider these aspects and ponder the value of having art created in and around your home or at a location that holds strong meaning– wherever that may be at this moment for you.

Here's to a new year filled with hope, growth, laughter, and holding those we love tightly.

This portrait session was so much fun. I have photographed this family before and the boys certainly remembered me! We had a great time playing around both inside their home and outside in their favorite climbing tree. The energy was fantastic and I adore this family.

Norah Levine is an Austin based children portrait photographer and pet photographer. She photographs in homes and on location. She also travels to Santa Fe, New Mexico frequently for sessions. Please view her website for more details www.norahlevinephotography.com

Why am I a photographer? {Children and Pet Photographer, Austin, TX and Santa Fe, NM}

Being a photographer isn't much of a choice for me. Photography picked ME. (Kind of like all of my adopted dogs and cats did). I fell in love with photography for the magic of it–for the many possibilities to create and connect through my view finder. While the format of photography has changed dramatically from my days of rolling film onto reels, the magic hasn't changed a bit. Sure, owning a business has its challenges, but I can't really imagine not creating photographs. As a result of my profession I get to play and interact with incredible children and animals and meet amazing people–even make some new friends. Through that process I have the opportunity to create images that allow my clients to linger in the present moment just a little bit longer–as their new baby coos and drools, as they hold on extra tightly to one another and while their pets gaze longingly into their eyes... this is the magic. Time certainly doesn't stand still, but artful photographs can certainly help it pause just a little; help us to spend a moment or two reminiscing and feel warm and fuzzy. (For the record, I'm not ashamed of being a warm and fuzzy photographer.) As I work hard to photograph and produce the final artwork for all of my unique clients this holiday season I am most definitley thankful to be part of this magical art form. The photographs I am sharing today are from a recent portrait session with a dear family in Santa Fe. I loved spending time with them at a park nearby their home as well as capturing images of their beloved pets at their home.

Norah Levine is an Austin based children portrait photographer and pet photographer. She photographs in homes and on location. She also travels to Santa Fe, New Mexico frequently for sessions. Please view her website for more details www.norahlevinephotography.com

Sibling Portrait Session {Children Photographer, Austin, TX and Santa Fe, NM}

On a recent family portrait session in Santa Fe I photographed Leah and her two very special daughters, Anna and Greta. It was a gorgeous fall afternoon; a perfect day to spend photographing two giggly sisters and their mom. I had photographed Anna and Greta twice before and I was really looking forward to spending the time with them. I have enjoyed watching them grow (through my viewfinder) into two little ladies with two absolutely distinct personalities. Artfully capturing these sisters as they interact brings me joy–and definitely gives me a case of the giggles. Anna and Greta's connection reminds me of the close bond between my sister and I. (Except for yesterday when she lovingly told me she was going to "mute me" while we were having a video conference call if I didn't stop talking). Having the ability to capture these images for not only mom and dad, but also for the children to enjoy as they grow into adulthood really makes me feel good about what I do as a professional photographer. Photographing Anna and Greta always involves playing. When I arrived to their home Anna was boinging away on her pogo stick and Greta tried to be shy for about a minute and a half before booting a soccer ball across the yard. Even Jack, their sweet dog has been warming up to me. After spending some time at their home both outdoors and also indoors, we headed to an area I had spotted on my ride to their house; a space nearby where the trees just oozed with fall color and the afternoon light was exquisite. I love the warm feeling of the late afternoon light and the way the girls seemed to fit perfectly into the scene with their contrasting purple dresses. I could spend days photographing Anna and Greta. I am incredibly thankful to be invited me back to their home again and again.

Norah Levine is an Austin based children portrait photographer and pet photographer. She photographs in homes and on location. She also travels to Santa Fe, New Mexico frequently for sessions. Please view her website for more details www.norahlevinephotography.com

What truly matters: your loved ones (yes, even gerbils!)

My heart goes out to all those affected by the fires here in Texas–the people and the animals. At the bottom of this post I have included information provided by the local news station for many ways to donate to the victims of the fires. During times like these I think we'd all agree that our focus should be on what's truly important in our lives: our loved ones ....................................

I was recently commissioned by a client to photograph her daughter, Karen and grandson, Eli during a visit to her home in Santa Fe, NM. Karen was quite lovely and definitely a little shy about being photographed. My favorite images were taken when she and her son were side by side; forgetting about the camera and sharing a moment together. The two of them seemed to have an extremely close bond: one a mother and child share that is like no other. I photographed them in an outside area where the light seemed to make their skin glow. In addition to Karen's mom cherishing these images of her daughter and grandson together, I know that Karen and Eli will both be thankful to have these photographs for many reasons.

I also photographed Eli as he played with his grandmother's chocolate lab Nick, underneath this old adobe structure on the property. This boy adores this dog and I just loved this little grouping of images in sequence of the two of them.

As a portrait photographer who specializes in images of children and pets, I have met some amazing and unique children and animals. This was admittedly, my very first experience photographing a pet gerbil. This gerbil (named "Whitey") is probably one of the most well traveled gerbils in the world as he traveled by plane from New Orleans to Santa Fe. He was very sweet and even more special was the way Eli loved him and that he was ecstatic about being photographed with his special friend. I am certainly available to photograph most any pet and I was glad to have the experience of photographing the connection between Eli and his pet gerbil.

May you and your loved ones stay safe and enjoy the time you have with one another each day!

Warmest wishes.

Norah Levine is an Austin children portrait photographer and pet photographer. She photographs in homes and on location. She also travels to Santa Fe, New Mexico frequently for sessions. Please view her website for more details www.norahlevinephotography.com

The following information is being shared from kvue.com as it was posted on 9-5-11

http://www.kvue.com/news/Austin-area-wildfire-donations-129263013.html 

AUSTIN -- As wildfires continue to burn in Central Texas, there are several ways to help out the victims and donate.

• The Thrift Shop at the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection is accepting donations for victims. The shop at 2008 Justin Lane will take donations of clothing, house wares and toiletries, which will be taken to distribution centers.
• To help the families affected by the Steiner Ranch fire, Austin Christian Fellowship is taking donations of bottled water, sports drinks, non-perishable snacks, toiletries, work gloves, heavy duty trash bags, flashlights, batteries and pet food. Donations can be taken to 6401 River Place Boulevard.
• Collections are also being taken in the Liberty Hill area. You can call Chuck Licata at 512-466-7751 to help.
• Anyone in Hays County hoping to volunteer or donate water and food for firefighters or evacuees can contact Volunteer Coordinator Lidia Contreras at 512-393-7302.
• The OASIS on Lake Travis has announced it will be a drop off point for the Austin/Bastrop fire victims. The restaurant is accepting donations as well as water, work gloves, toiletries, non-perishable food items, clothing, trash bags, and flashlights with batteries. Boxes and donation jars will be in the lobby area starting Monday afternoon.
• The Austin Disaster Relief Network is currently assisting victims of the fires. Organizers say donations of food and clothing can be taken to any local food bank or charity.
• Cash donations should be made directly to the Red Cross of Central Texas.
• Catholic Charities of Central Texas will accept donations for wildfire victims on Tuesday, Sept. 6. Donations can be brought to the Diocese of Austin Pastoral Center at 6225 Highway 290 East from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Donations will also be accepted from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Catholic Charities of Central Texas in Austin at 1817 East Sixth Street. Organizers are asking for donations of the following items:
• Medical Supplies
• BP Cuff
• Nebulizer
• Thermometer
• Glucometer
• Pen lights
• Tongue Depressors
• Ibuprofen
• Gauze Wrap
• ACE Bandages
• Neosporin Cream 
• Bandages

Other Supplies:
• Sleeping Bags
• Blankets
• Pillows
• Towels
• Shampoo
• Body wash
• Toothpaste
• Paper Plates, Cups, Napkins, Plastic Utensils
• Deodorant Sprays for men and women
• Disposable Razors
• Shaving Cream
• Baby Wipes
• Size 4 Diapers
• Baby Shampoo
• Sanitizer

Family Portraits in Austin and Santa Fe: Change is Here to Stay

Good news! Family photos are different than they used to be. Having a family portrait taken doesn't have to look exactly the same as it did last year and the year before. (Or the same as your neighbors' for that matter). And why should it? You and your family aren't the same as you were years ago.  I believe family portraits should be artful documentations with playful interactions that are truly personal and unique to each family. Every family is different, so when I am asked to create a portrait my approach always varies. I was asked to photograph this couple with their one-year-old baby and their yellow labrador retriever  in a way that really documented their casual and loving spirit as a family. As I do with each of my clients, I spent some time with mom to find out more about what it was she and her husband were looking for with their session. She told me that their son had just recently celebrated his first birthday and they were looking to capture a portrait of him with the rest of the family. They wanted creative images of their son at this special stage in his life. I especially loved the baby's reactiveness to his mom and and dad as they played and the look of admiration his parents' eyes. The baby's curiosity of his dad's guitar sparked some playful images and I was pleased to stick around to capture  "bath time" memories.

I was grateful to be able to photograph this family in a relaxed manner that allowed them to be themselves; to forget what a family portrait was supposed to look like and to embrace a more meaningful and authentic series of images they could hold onto for a lifetime.

Norah Levine is an Austin children portrait photographer and pet photographer. She photographs in homes and on location. She also travels to Santa Fe, New Mexico frequently for sessions. Please view her website for more details www.norahlevinephotography.com

1 Year Old Portraits by Norah Levine in Austin and Santa Fe

When I receive an inquiry about creating 1 year old portraits I'm always excited... This is certainly a fun age to photograph, as little girls and boys are just starting to express their own personalities. I love their actions and reactions, their giggles and uninhibited exclamations of emotion. With this fresh, young energy there are also challenges with photographing 1 year olds. I'd say the single most difficult aspect is that they are usually incredibly mobile and never seem to hold still! This makes for a very active session for both myself and the parents. The session I'm sharing today was especially fun. The parents were such kind people and really wanted me to capture their daughter's beautiful personality in her 1 year portraits. We started indoors in her room and then moved the session outdoors for a more natural setting. I spent a lot of time in the crouched position for this session! This "little wonder" had a tremendous sense of curiosity. I just LOVE her big brown eyes and expression.

Sometimes I play more of an active participation in creating portraits, while at other times I play the role of observer. It is this change in perspective that allows me to present a variety of images to the parents. In some of the images from this session I wanted to show how tiny this little girl was in comparison to her parents. I enjoyed capturing images of this family walking hand in hand with their shadows extending before them- two long shadows and one short!  I am so glad they had me capture this special time in their lives as their little girl is growing so quickly!

Norah Levine is an Austin children portrait photographer and pet photographer. She photographs in homes and on location. She also travels to Santa Fe, New Mexico frequently for sessions. Please view her website for more details www.norahlevinephotography.com

Summer family portraits

Summer time is an excellent opportunity to spend extra time with your loved ones. It certainly feels like summer here in Austin with so many 100 degree days in a row!  Fortunately, when I photographed this adorable family in Santa Fe it was an incredibly gorgeous day... a perfect day for family portraits. I received a call from Anna, a professional portrait photographer located in Flagstaff, Arizona, who would be visiting Santa Fe with her family and she was inquiring about my capturing her family's portrait while they were in town. Of course I was very excited and extremely flattered by this request as Anna is an amazing photographer in her own right. But we photographers need portraits too! (That tripod thing gets a little old after a while!)

Anna and I talked about her family—her husband and their two children. Anna explained to me that her family was very casual and that she would love for the portraits to convey that energy. During our brain storming about the session we thought that bubbles would be visually interesting to incorporate into the images and would also provide a fun activity for the children. Since Anna's family was visiting from out of town it was not possible for me to photograph them at their home. This worked just fine, but it took a little more planning in terms of finding the best locations. I wanted the locations to have beautiful light, aesthetically pleasing surroundings and to offer a comfortable place for the family to interact with one another. We spent the first part of the session on the grounds of their hotel which I had scouted days earlier. I found a big tree that seemed welcoming and I felt like the grassy area around it would make for a perfect place to let the children play comfortably.

We spent the afternoon playing, photographing and blowing bubbles in the pristine Santa Fe sunshine. The bubbles ended up working out well. The only issue is that they're a little (okay, a lot) messy! It was worth it though. I wanted to capture Anna's family as if they were not even aware of my camera. I loved the way this family interacted with one another and how they really just went with the "flow" of things. Not every moment was perfect and that was part of the beauty of these images for me. With such a free-flowing style session I had to photograph quite a bit and there was a little more of the unexpected, which I enjoyed.

We moved to a second location— a park area and a nearby colorful mural which made for a fun background. In the park we found a sweet grassy area to hang out as the sun set behind the horizon.

Yet another truly genuine and amazing family that I am grateful to have met and photographed.

Happy start of Summer! May you truly enjoy many moments with your loved-ones.

"Back in Your Own Backyard" Austin Portrait Session Part 1

The lyrics to Billie Holiday’s song, “Back in Your Own Backyard” have been inspiration to me…

That bird with feathers of blue

Is waiting for you

Back in your own backyard

You’ll see your castles in Spain

Through your window pane

Back in your own backyard

Oh you can go to the East

Go to the West

Someday you’ll come

Weary at heart

Back where you started from

You’ll find your happiness lies

Right under your eyes

Back in your own backyard…

I have fond memories of playing in my own backyard with my siblings… Making forts out of junk in the woods, running through cornfields, cart wheeling, tire swinging, “treasure” hunting and cherry picking.  I tell people I grew up on a farm. It was a farm to me. There were gardens, pigs, a barn with barn cats and mice, hay bails and fields of corn nearby.  My mom tells me now that it wasn’t really a farm, but just a rented farmhouse. Okay, fine.  This is MY memory though and I’m stickin’ to it. I love this photo of me with my gramma in our backyard.

I recently photographed three children here in Austin, Texas and I’d love to share a little of my experience with you. Their parents have asked me to respect their privacy and not use any of their names and so I won't be using their names.  Mom (we’ll call her Sandra) contacted me after seeing an advertisement in the Austin Kid’s Directory, a great resource for children services in the Austin area. Sandra and her family had recently moved to Austin and was looking for a professional photographer to create unique portraits of her three children. I gladly met with Sandra at her home and discussed my ideas and her dreams about portraits of her children during a pre-consult appointment. One aspect of concern for Sandra was the location for the portraits. She expressed that the house was a rental for the family and that she wasn’t sure if this would be a good location. Sometimes clients are unsure if their home and surroundings are suitable for photographing and I am always glad to take a look during our pre-consult and provide my suggestions. After seeing the backyard and talking with her about what it was she wanted in her photographs I felt confident that this location would work and that the portraits created there would be meaningful to her and her family.

[/

Consider that the portraits that are going to be the most valuable to you are the ones that are created in a space that is personal to you at the time. There’s no need to wait until you’re settled in your dream home or have the yard and house perfect. I am always going to help create images that are beautiful and meaningful to you. So your child just gave himself a snazzy new hair cut… that could be the PERFECT time to create portraits, in my opinion, because you’ll never forget this time in his life!  Okay, maybe you should wait a week or so, but my point is that these images are for you and your loved-ones and they are a creative document of who you, your children and your pets are right at that moment in your lives. When you look back at these images years later when your children are grown or your beloved pet has perhaps passed on, you have these images to put you right back in that moment. This is something I absolutely love and cherish about photography. I have images of pets that have passed and when I look at images of them I can almost feel their fur between my fingers and hear their bark or purr. I’m thankful for the ability of photographs to trigger these sensations and memories of my loved-ones.

This backyard turned out to be a perfect location for creating portraits of Sandra’s three amazing children. These images will trigger the memories of these children playing with one another in the dappled sunlight with blades of grass tickling their toes...