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Pet Photographer: A Year in the Life

  • Jan 7, 2024
  • 4 min read

Updated: Mar 30, 2025

Hello, and welcome to the Scruff Life Photography blog! I'll write a proper introduction post with a brief history of SLP soon, but I wanted to start with a year-in-review of 2023 while it's still early in the year. This is not an exhaustive list of what was captured, but just a short list of some of the memorable moments.


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In January 2023, I celebrated two full years of Scruff Life Photography by embracing Minnesota's cold and very snowy winter weather with some adventure and winter sports photography!


  • A husky skijoring with her owner in the snow.
  • A shepherd mix skijoring with her owner in the snow.
  • A small black dog with her owner hiking through the snow across a lake. They are walking away from the camera together.

Later in the month, I hit the trails of Minnesota's North Shore to photograph the incredible John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon with my friend and occasional assistant photographer, Brooke! We spent three full days outside in the negative-degree temperatures to capture everything we possibly could from the 300+ mile mushing race from Duluth, MN to Grand Portage, MN. I'll write a blog to recap that entire experience someday!


  • A team of sled dogs pull their musher across the snow along a wooded trail.
  • A woman musher high fives the crowd at the start of the sled dog race.
  • A team of sled dogs race across a frozen lake on the Gunflint Trail.
  • A team of sled dogs pull their musher across the snow along a wooded trail.
  • One of the team handlers embraces Wildfire, who overcame many obstacles to compete in the sled dog race.
  • A team of sled dogs race across a frozen lake on the Gunflint Trail.
  • A team of sled dogs pull their musher across the snow along a wooded trail.
  • The team of sled dogs get a fast start at the race with big grins on their faces.
  • A woman musher high fives the crowd at the start of the sled dog race.
  • A musher gets emotional at the finish line of the sled dog race, smiling while wiping a tear from her eye.
  • A musher holds onto the sled while being pulled through the woods by her team of dogs.
  • A woman musher waves at the camera during the sled dog race.
  • A team of sled dogs pull their musher across the snow along a wooded trail.

February kicked off with another sled dog race, this time on Lake Minnetonka in Excelsior, MN for the Klondike Dog Derby. This race is a unique glimpse into the sport of mushing as it is set up to be much more spectator-friendly compared to traditional long-distance races. It was a joy to witness the excitement and the hundreds of others there on the shores and in town!


  • Martha Schouweiler waves to the crowd as her team of sled dogs cross the finish line of the Klondike Dog Derby.
  • Morgan Martens waves to the crowd along the snowy shore of Lake Minnetonka.
  • Tommy Bird gives a high five as his team of sled dogs cross the finish line of the Klondike Dog Derby.
  • A team of sled dogs race along the frozen lake.
  • A sled dog awaits her turn to get out of the truck and begin to race.
  • Kevin Mathis waves to the crowd as his team of sled dogs cross the finish line of the Klondike Dog Derby.
  • Joanna Oberg waves to the crowd along the snowy shore of Lake Minnetonka.
  • A team of sled dogs pants as they get help from volunteers at the finish line to pull them into the corral.
  • A team of sled dogs race along the frozen lake.

From there, I had two more adventure sessions in the beautiful snow and cold with some wild and adventurous dog moms.


  • A woman smiles, looking at her dog. The dog is smiling and looking at the camera. They are both in a pine forest, surrounded by snow at golden hour.
  • A woman in an orange coat and her two dogs are standing in a snowy field surrounded by a birch and oak forest. The dogs are looking up at her and she is looking dog at them. They are all facing away from the camera.

One of my favorite events from 2023 was the adoptable pets photo event in March at Tonkadale Greenhouse. I teamed up with my pet photographer friends, Kelly of K Schulz Photography and Kirsten of KME Photography to photograph nearly 40 adoptable dogs, cats, and pocket pets to help them find their forever families. Kelly also wrote an amazing blog post about this event. We are planning a return for 2024, so keep an eye out if you or someone you know fosters animals.


  • An adoptable rescue dog has his portrait taken in a greenhouse.
  • An adoptable rescue dog has his portrait taken in a greenhouse.
  • An adoptable rescue dog has his portrait taken in a greenhouse.
  • An adoptable rescue dog has his portrait taken in a greenhouse.
  • An adoptable rescue dog has his portrait taken in a greenhouse.
  • An adoptable rescue dog has his portrait taken in a greenhouse.
  • An adoptable rescue dog has her portrait taken in a greenhouse.
  • An adoptable rescue dog has his portrait taken in a greenhouse.

The snow was still hanging on in Minnesota as we transitioned from winter into spring, but that didn't put a damper on Johnathan's Celebration Session. The sky came alive and we were treated to an break-taking sunset for this session.


A woman embraces her dog in the snow with a beautiful sunset backdrop.

Do you know what they say about April showers and May flowers? Well, it was mostly April snow, but the May flowers part was true! I had an opportunity to shoot a session in a beautiful flower garden in Minneapolis with Lucy and her dog mom, Michelle! Also in Minneapolis, I photographed a very photogenic rescue puppy named Skye and that session quickly became one of my favorites because of how precious he was in every photo.


  • A black dog looks soulfully into the camera. She is surrounded by spring blooms.
  • A woman and her dog sit together in the grass, surrounded by spring blooms. They are smiling at the camera.
  • A young dog lays on a bridge on a gorgeous spring day.
  • A young dog walks towards the camera in a lush green forest.

Summer was busy in the best way! I photographed eleven dogs from June to August, not including the sunflower sessions. Several sessions were in familiar locations, but a few had me out of my comfort zone and shooting in new places like Como Park and the campus of St. Kate's in St. Paul. The highlight of summer was photographing Kona and Cassandra on a paddle board together, doing what they love to do together in the summer!


  • A dog sits on a paddle board in a lake at sunset.
  • A woman and her dog explore a Minnesota lake by paddle board at sunset.
  • A woman and her dog show off the dog's tricks sitting on a paddle board.
  • A woman and her dog explore a Minnesota lake by paddle board.
  • A dog enjoys a moment on a paddle board on a lake.

August was also my second year offering sunflower mini photo sessions for people and their pets at Green Barn Garden Center's Sunflower Days (Isanti, MN). In addition to the eleven dogs that attended mini sessions with me, I also got to meet eight more that participated in Green Barn's sunflower costume contest for the pups! This is a fun time of year and I look forward to my time out amongst the beautiful sunflowers! How cute are all of these sunflower dogs?!


  • A german shepherd dog smiles out the window of a vintage firetruck.
  • A chocolate lab smiles in the sunflower field.
  • A black dog smiles at the camera surrounded by sunflowers.
  • A golden doodle smiles at the camera surrounded by sunflowers.
  • A pitbull terrier looks at the camera in a sunflower field.
  • An american bulldog looks at the camera in a sunflower field.
  • A cream-colored dog smiles at the camera with her humans on either side of her.
  • A poodle mix smiles at the camera with sunflowers in the background.
  • Two white dogs look at the camera with sunflowers in the background.
  • A woman kneels down next to her dog in a sunflower field as they both smile.
  • Dog sunflower costume contest entry.
  • Dog sunflower costume contest entry.
  • Dog sunflower costume contest entry.
  • Dog sunflower costume contest entry.
  • Dog sunflower costume contest entry.
  • Dog sunflower costume contest entry.
  • Dog sunflower costume contest entry.
  • Dog sunflower costume contest entry.
  • Dog sunflower costume contest entry.

Also in August, and how could I forget... my artwork was accepted in the Minnesota State Fair's Fine Arts Exhibition. They accept around 10% of entries, so this was a huge honor and to be included on my first try was incredible! To top it off, many of you made your way out to the fair and stopped to see my photo and sent me selfies with it! Thank you so much to everyone who did that -- it was so special. The photo is from my trip to photograph the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon. It is of the bacon lady tent at the Sawbill Checkpoint in the early morning hours of the mandatory layover for the mushers.


  • A woman stands in front of a Fine Arts building holding a framed photo she took while smiling.
  • A tent is lit up in the dark winter night with snowshoes out front and black spruce trees in the distance.
  • A woman stands next to her artwork with a smile on her face.

I took some time off in September to go on a grand adventure with my fiancé and our dog, Conway! We went on a road trip through North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and South Dakota -- stopping at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Custer State Park, Badlands National Park, and Blue Mounds State Park before heading home. Grand Teton ended up being my favorite of the bunch, but we also saw our first moose in Idaho, so that was also a truly unforgettable experience!


  • A woman and her dog face away from the camera as they look at the Teton mountain range together.
  • A woman and her dog smile at the camera with the Tetons behind them.
  • A cow moose stands in a aspen grove, looking behind her away from the camera.

Fall is, in my opinion, the perfect season in Minnesota, and this year was no exception. I had three very special fall photo sessions in the beautiful fall foliage with some new faces and some familiar ones.


  • A white chihuahua runs towards the camera on a stunning fall day.
  • A black chihuahua walks towards the camera with his tongue slightly out of his mouth.
  • A woman and her German Shepherd Dog smile together at the camera on a trail through the forest in the fall.
  • A black dog smiles while her human holds fall leaves up to her ears.

Lastly, I offered pumpkin patch mini photo sessions for the very first time this year and I loved seeing everyone and their pups out at the patch for some spooky season photos!


  • A cattle dog mix and an orange dog sit together in a pumpkin patch.
  • A great dane mix smiles at the camera in a pumpkin patch.
  • A black dog stands on a pumpkin and looks up at the camera.
  • A poodle mix stands with two paws on a pumpkin.

To round out the year, I finally found a graphic designer that I loved and decided to go all in on new branding for Scruff Life Photography! Cindy Roaming Designs was so fun to work with. She fully embraced my vision for the brand and created the cutest logo, submarks, and other graphics. I'm feeling so ready and fresh headed into the new year and can't wait to continue to show off the amazing work that Cindy did!


  • Scruff Life Photography logo
  • Scruff Life Photography logo

It was a year for the books at Scruff Life Photography! Thank you to everyone who booked a session with me, ordered a photo or a product from me, supported me through liking, commenting, or sharing any of my posts on social media, and told your friends and family about my photography. I appreciate each one of you and I'm so grateful to have this opportunity to capture these memories of you and your pets together.


I hope you all have a fantastic 2024 and if you are ever feeling like you need a few more photos with your pet, I'll be here! :)


Please say 'hi' to your dog for me!


Lauren


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Scruff Life Photography is a pet photographer for the wild and adventurous. Capturing the bond between people and their pets in Minnesota and beyond. Serving Forest Lake and the surrounding areas.

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