ROCHESTER — Don’t read too much into it when Ann Wagaman says teaching helped her prepare for starting a pet photography business.

Suffice to say, teaching second-graders and kindergartners and photographing dogs both take some patience.

“With pets, the key is just to let them do their own thing,” Wagaman said. “I just let the dogs and cats gauge how the session is going to go.”

After more than 20 years of teaching in St. Charles, Minnesota, Wagaman saw an opportunity to turn her photography side gig into a dream job.

She came across an online tutorial on how to do pet photography. About two years later, she was taking portraits of pets full time.

Since then, Wagaman has captured the personality of hundreds of photogenic pooches, charismatic cats and other beloved critters at her studio and 70-acre property in Southeast Minnesota. This year, she has taken her skills on the road to photograph pets at Rochester landmarks and businesses in a fund-raising effort for Paws and Claws Humane Society of Rochester.

The upcoming book project, “Tails of Rochester,” will feature a few dozen furry companions in recognizable settings throughout the city. So far, Wagaman has visited about two dozen locations to photograph pets — mostly dogs — in their environment.

Wagaman has nothing against cats; they’re just more difficult to photograph.

“I wish I could do more cats, but cats are cats,” Wagaman said.

Capturing the personality of dogs and putting their images out for other people to enjoy is one reason Wagaman shifted careers. The main reason was to be able to spend more time with animals.

“Meeting a new dog for the first time, that’s the best part, I’m not going to lie,” she said.

The other highlight is seeing pet owners’ faces light up when their dog does well in a photo session. Wagaman does her part to make it look easy and passes all the credit to the photo subject.

“Clients are so proud of their dogs,” she said.

Making her job look easy has taken her years of work and is an ongoing process. Wagaman has learned about lighting, photo techniques and has the gear to get the right shots.

Although she agrees with Chase Jarvis who said, “the best camera is the one that’s with you,” shots of a fast moving dog require higher end equipment and a fast shutter.

“Your phone can only do so much,” she said.

Another must-have skill is reading her subjects.

“You have to know the signals,” she said. “If you’re getting flat ears or tail between the legs, you just back off because you’re not going to get a good image.”

She carries treats, noise makers and figures out what motivates her subjects before she starts a photo session.

“Most of the dogs I photograph aren’t trained,” Wagaman said.

Wagaman also attends conferences and is always open to tips and lessons from other pet and photographers. She is one of five certified dog photography masters in the U.S.

“I’m constantly learning,” she said.

She attended an industry conference in Scotland last year and is planning a trip for another in Iceland next year.

Wagaman’s “Tails of Rochester” project idea has roots in the international contacts within the industry she’s built. She was one of 80 photographers who collaborated on an Australian-based fund-raising publication,

“Tails of the World.”

She contributed 12 pictures — a cat, a rabbit and 10 dogs — to the print first publication.

Proceeds from the sales of that book are donated to Second Chance Animal Rescue, Inc. Wagaman donated her studio fees to Rochester-based rescue nonprofit Camp Companion.

Wagaman then turned her lens on greater Minnesota with her book “Woofda” which features 60 “above average dogs” from around the North Star State.

Proceeds from that project go to dog rescue project Because of Bonsai. Because of Bonsai was founded by Dani White and Sejal Dave after they

rescued a stray dog

they found on the street while they were on vacation in Mexico in 2021.

While Wagaman continues to explore places to photograph dogs in and around Rochester, she said she’s open to suggestions on where to go next. Her contact information, social media sites and samples of her work are available on her website at

annwagaman.com.

Session fees for “Tails of Rochester” still apply but a portion is donated to Paws and Claws.