Leila the Golden Retriever by Nicole Begley Photography

Serena Faber Nelson Founder & Pet Lifestyle Writer

Pet lifestyle expert Serena Faber-Nelson is the founder of Pretty Fluffy. A contributor to Everyday with Rachael Ray, Modern Dog Magazine, Cesars Way and more; her modern, stylized take on DIY dog treats has seen her recipes viewed millions of times over.

Serena is the author of the go-to dog mom bible, Dog Mama, and the popular dog treat recipe book, Healthy Homemade Dog Treats.

When someone says the word family, so many people will think of a couple with 2.5 kids and a white picket fence. But for me a family is where love is. A nana and her granddaughter. A group of friends that celebrate the holidays together. A man and his dog. So when I first laid eyes on this gorgeous session by Nicole Begley Photography, I not only saw a beautiful couple and their smiling Golden Retriever frolicking at the beach. I saw a family.

From Nicole:
My pet photography business is based in Pittsburgh, PA but I do get down to Southwest Florida periodically during the winter months to meet some clients in some sunshine and warmer weather.

I absolutely LOVE when clients have a dog that loves the water and want to hold their session at dog beach. It can be tricky to shoot there because there can be quite a few dogs, and the evening of our session was no different. However if you walk down the beach just a bit you can find a spot with little distraction and some delectable lighting. We held our session about an hour and a half before sunset and were graced with a spectacular Southwest Florida pink sky backdrop for our session.

Leila was the star of the show, a 9 year old golden retriever that loves the water….and her frisbee. She also loves her parents, and you can tell through the images that the feeling is mutual.

About Nicole Begley Photography

Nicole Begley is a pet lifestyle photographer based in Pittsburgh, PA, specializing in pet and equine photography. She spent 13 years in her first career as a zoological animal trainer working with a variety of animals from birds, to seals, to primates so specializing in working with pets was a natural transition. Nicole is also the creator of Hair of the Dog, a blog that was created for the pet photographer focusing on business and marketing tips.