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

Custom Art Products by Austin and Santa Fe Portrait Photographer Norah Levine

Part of my job as a professional photographer is to ensure that my clients can enjoy their photographs in unique and meaningful ways. It is imperative that everything I offer is created with the highest quality materials available. I enjoy the process of choosing creative ways for my clients to display the images from their portrait sessions. I offer a variety of options so I can be sure that my clients will be able to find the perfect print format or product that matches their needs and personal style. Some clients are looking to fill a wall with a traditionally framed gallery of images that suits the decor of their home while others may be looking for smaller heirloom pieces such as my custom albums or books. Today I am sharing one of my smaller options for the clients looking to display their images in a more compact space: Custom Heirloom Blocks. These heirloom blocks are works of art to be treasured and combine just the right amount of contemporary and vintage flair. They sit beautifully on a bureau, desk, shelf, or any place in the home or office. These handcrafted blocks include clients' favorite images and are custom designed and created with non-toxic materials. I am so excited to offer this unique custom artwork to my clients. I have several options for design and color themes and clients can even have a special name on the top of the large blocks.  Please inquire for additional details on this lovely way to cherish your photographs from your portrait session with me in Austin, Texas or Santa Fe, New Mexico. 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

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

Family Photos with Dog Included!

The opportunity to photograph children and families is always a welcomed one. The chance to photograph children and dogs together is fantastic! I was asked by one of my favorite clients to photograph her daughter, Chandra; two grandsons, Alex and Banks; and their dog, a chocolate poodle named Jack. The family was vacationing in Santa Fe and had asked me to photograph them while I was in town to teach my photo workshop. I was thrilled that our schedules coincided.

I've got to tell you about these two incredible children. Meet Alex, one of the most energetic 8-year-olds I've ever encourntered. This kid's got it all—wit, inventiveness, extreme curiosity, the gift of observance and as many random facts as you could shake a stick at. I could have gladly  listened to him all day and he would have still had thoughts to share at sunset.  The small detail in this scenario was that I need to create portraits of this wonderful child, and this usually requires a bit of "quiet time."  After a great deal of entertaining conversation I reminded Alex that we needed to take some photographs. He politely inquired if I needed for him to "go get some tape for his mouth." I passed on the offer, but thanked him kindly as we both giggled.  I have no doubt that we'll be hearing more from Alex in the future in one way or another.

Next I spent some time with Alex's younger brother, Banks. A gorgeous brown haired 6-year-old with a sweet sparkle in his eyes. Banks and I started out with some negotiations involving the removal of his skeleton imprinted flip flops. The sandals were cute but didn't seem to fit with the simplicity of his outfit. This negotiation sparked some serious giggling and play between the two of us. In the end I won the negations with an arm wrestling match. (I'm willing to try anything.) Banks was a great sport and his laugh was completely contagious both to myself and my assistant who was there to share in the whole experience. Banks starts kindergarten this year and I just know he'll take the classroom by storm.

The group portrait included the family's new dog, Jack. Jack was extremely well-behaved and had such a sweet demeanor. I love his dark, expressive brown eyes and his rich chocolate coat. Incorporating pets into family portraits is always a fun way to capture the whole family and allows everyone to relax a bit. Sometimes people find it hard to be in front of the camera but when pets are involved  it can be easy to let the nerves go. (I think this is true of having pets in our lives in general). I'm thankful that I was able to create portraits of this wonderful family and to capture moments of these two boys both individually and with their family dog.

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

Family and Maternity Photography Austin and Santa Fe

family |ˈfam(ə)lē| can be defined several ways. I think a perfect way to describe family is connection. The concept of connection is a recurring theme in my photography and this maternity and family portrait session is all about the connection I love to capture. This family is powerfully loving and genuine; meeting them has honestly touched my life and inspired me.  Jeannine and Rich are expecting their second child this August and requested a session with me to capture this special time in their lives; a time wherein they are reflecting on the last four years spent with their first child, Kai , and their two beloved dogs; a time wherein they excitedly await the arrival of their new baby and enter into a new path together.

When Jeannine and I talked about her dreams for her session she expressed a desire to have photographs that captured the strong and intimate connection of their family. And so I focused my session with this concept in mind: connection between husband and wife, parent and child, mother and baby-to-be. It was quite clear when I arrived to Santa Fe, NM from Austin, TX for this session that this family was incredible.

I wanted the images to feel as serene and sweet as this family. I looked for ways to convey these feelings both indoors and out–We took a quick drive to a nearby field area, worked under their porch with some nice, soft light and also right in their living room on their cozy couch. (Oh,we took a few snack breaks in between, of course!) I used a combination of natural and studio lighting for the imagery and wanted to make sure they all expressed a soft feeling with emotion being the focus.

Jeannine and Rich were up for anything during the session and really encouraged me to lead the session however I felt was right for them. We spent a few hours together and I honestly could have continued photographing this family for many more... I'm so glad I was invited into their lives to capture this time. Many thanks to this family for allowing me to share these images with you.

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 2

It is valuable for me to know as little about who I am photographing before I meet them. I want to know as much as I can about interests, loves and personalities before I photograph anyone. While it isn’t a recipe for guaranteed success in a session, it certainly helps to establish an initial connection. This connection is imperative to creating any portrait-whether this portrait is of a 6-year-old girl, a 10-year-old poodle, or a 78-year-old man. I’d love to share a little more from my session with the three siblings here in Austin, Texas. The mother from my previous posting, “Back in Your Own Backyard Part 1” wanted photographs that had a casual, playful feel. She wanted something that told the story of her children at this special time in their lives. She expressed that her daughter had recently lost her two front teeth and that she wanted to capture her adorable smile and lively character. She talked about her sweet boys and that her middle child didn’t like to be photographed very much, but that he was just such a darling child with tremendous personality. I asked about oldest and Sandra painted a lovely picture of a helpful and adoring boy who I was very excited to meet.

When I am choosing a time to photograph children it most often revolves around when the children are the happiest and have the most energy. Of course, lighting is a vital part to creating strong imagery, but it doesn’t matter how gorgeous the light is if you’ve got a miserable child in front of your lens. Sandra and I decided to schedule the session for the morning hours after the children had rested and been fed their breakfast. The light in the backyard was dappled-meaning that spots of light were coming in through the trees. This can be difficult light to work with, but not impossible. With three children, I had to find ways to keep them from having large spots of light on their faces and bodies especially while photographing them together as Sandra had wanted.  One of the ways to work in this light was that Sandra cheerfully stepped in as my assistant and held a light diffuser to help with the spotty light.

When I had walked around the backyard with Sandra a week earlier I visualized some areas where I had wanted to photograph the children together. I thought the hammock would be really fun but on the day of the session realized it was difficult to get the children to stay focused as they tipped and turned in the hammock. I tried sitting on it with two of the kids and agreed with them that it was hard! They had a good laugh at me then. The ground below the hammock was muddy and their feet were quickly a nice shade of dark brown. After one round of unsuccessfully cleaning I thought, “let’s just embrace this mud,” and I asked the children to lift up their legs in the hammock as I clicked my shutter.

During most of my sessions I start with a vision or a few ideas. That vision and those ideas change and morph organically during the actual session. This happens for several reasons. Sometimes there are aspects of a location I couldn’t have anticipated, the light changes, the weather changes, or a child or pet isn’t in the mood for being photographed a certain way or in a specific location. Although I sometimes think it would be fantastic if all of my plans and visions were easily realized (why not?), I’m most often thankful for the need to be adaptable because other opportunities and visions arise.

Hopefully these images remind you of the warmth, inhibition and play of childhood. Perhaps it reminds you of your own “backyard” and of the unique memories that were created there by you and your family.

I’m happy to share some of the images that arose from this unique trio of children as they expressed their distinctive personalities, in their own backyard.

"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.

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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...