Spotlight Post: Pet Photography with Nicole Begley

Image copyright Nicole Begley. All rights reserved.

One of the benefits of social media, especially sites like Facebook and Instagram is the collection of introductions made every day through beautiful images, announcements and the sharing of that passion for photography I'm always writing about.

Meet Nicole Begley. Over the weekend I ran across a link to a pet photography workshop she's doing with Terran Bayer here in the Sarasota area in February. Since there aren't many workshops that come to the area, I was intrigued and took a look at her website. The images were stunning, and if you've followed me for even a short amount of time, you know what came next.

While social media is a kick to keep in touch, meet new people and see a wide diversity of work - NOTHING beats a phone call.  In the conversation I also wanted to ask permission to share one of her images. Even if a photograph is posted in a public forum, I still like to ask if it's okay to share. 

The best part of this industry is the friendships that come out of everyone's love for the craft. I spoke with Nicole yesterday, and here I am this morning, with one of my favorite images from her gallery and a reminder:

The top three reasons people hire a professional photographer in the portrait/social categories are brides, babies, and pets. That's the BIG three from a Kodak study done many years ago, and I don't believe it's changed a single percentage point. Many of you have an opportunity to expand your published expertise in your business, but more important is understanding how to fine-tune your skill set to cover all three whenever they come up.

Interested in seeing more of Nicole's work? Click on the image above to link to her website. And, check out her "Hair of the Dog" blog to keep track of her workshops and more ideas on pet photography.