Sorrell Scrutton

I want to make queer history with you! If you identify anywhere on the LGBTQ+ spectrum, live in or near LA, and own a pet (dog, cat, snake, goat, goldfish, etc.) I want to photograph you for Queerantine! A project I’m currently working on to document queer lives in quarantine right now. Queers live through multiple forms of isolation throughout their lives. Whether it be rejection from friends or family after coming out, growing up in a small or rural area without queer community support, or even going through a bad breakup, most queers you know have dealt with isolation in some form or another. Right now, we are being forced to isolate, and that can be pretty scary for everyone. Pets have always been lifesavers and bring us up when we are down. My dog literally saved my life a year ago when I went through a long and painful divorce. Tbh without her and The support of my community, I don’t think I would’ve made it. Our pets & community love us unconditionally and will get us through this difficult time, I promise you that. So, I am documenting queer families to archive this time in history and to be seen in this moment and not feel so alone. We really are in this together💕 My goal is to shoot 100 images or more but I’m starting there! All shoots are by donation. I know everyone is getting hit hard financially right now, and I acknowledge that. I am only looking to cover my costs so that I am able to continue this project. All profit will be donated directly to Black trans people in need. Dm for more details or to book a shoot! (P.S. Even if you don’t have a pet but you want to be a part of this project maybe have a giant teddy bear, I want you to be a part of this! We will find a way!) #queerantine #queerphotography #photographers #documentyourdays #queerantine #quarantinelife #queerfamilies #lgbtq #losangeles #queerpets #petsofinstagram #petsofinsta #petphotographer #pride #lgbtqpride

As the year wraps up I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone that’s been a part of Queerantine. This little idea of a project started back in August 2020. I posted a few of my friends and their pets that I casually photographed just for fun. I got such an enormous response from the queer community on Instagram that I decided to continue photographing queer families in Los Angeles as a way to stay connected to my LGBTQ+ community. I have met so many strangers I now consider friends and part of my family throughout this project. The intensity of how much love and support this project and I have received cannot be measured. I am so grateful for my community right now. I hope this project has been an outlet for others as well. This year was effed up but I love you and one day I will throw a party where we can all hang out and everyone can meet in person!💗😘🥂 Here are just a few of my favorite portraits from Queerantine! (There are SO many!) If you’re still with me at this point read below for more info on QUEERANTINE and a new project I’m working on. QUEERANTINE is a project I started early in the pandemic when we were all told to stay home and isolate. I started this project as a way to stay connected and do what I love best, taking portraits. I wanted to show the connection between the queer community and their pets. In hard times we look for support and it can find us in the form of unconditional love from a pet and from community. Pets have helped us stay connected when we are feeling isolated from the world. They can literally save our lives. All proceeds for QUEERANTINE have been donated to queer and trans Black folks in need. We have donated over $3000 together as a community. So much has happened in the past 2 years! Lately after all this time since the first QUEERANTINE portrait, I have been revisiting some of the folks I photographed that are going into their next chapter in life and taking new portraits! If you’re interested in a Next Chapter portrait to continue the QUEERANTINE project hit me up in my DMs and let’s set something up! #happynewyear #queerantine #queerfamilypetportrait #queerfamily #queerphotographer #lgbtqplus

Shannon O’Connor from @thedailybeast wrote a lovely article about how Queerantine project started and was developed! It’s live on the website now! THANK YOU to @fer.zoom @carlos.zoom @aritibi @mish_pie @sabrinajalees @shaunanicolemccann @sambarbera for the lovely words about Queerantine! LINK IN BIO for full article! #queerantineproject #queerfamilyportrait #queerphotographer #petphotography rapher /how-pets-helped-these-lgbtq-families-survive-the-pandemic

One of my early Queerantine clients books me for holiday family shoots every year now. Here’s a bts reel from this past year 2023! It’s very sweet this little community I built during the pandemic🥰

QUEERANTINE Kacy (he/him/his) & Westley What is your favorite memory of Wesltey? “It was probably the first time he ever laid on my chest in bed. He didn’t know how to lay down, so he just stood on me for a few minutes and then fell over. He did that for a year until he figured it out” How long have you had him? I got him a week before lock down. Coming up in 3 years now” 2020 is a year we’ll all remember, no doubt. After shutting down my studio, I developed a project called Queerantine. I didn’t know how I was going to be able to keep doing what I knew how to do since we weren’t supposed to be near other people. All knew was how to take photos. So I asked people that identified on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum and who had pets if I could photograph them outside their homes at a safe distance. I was overwhelmed with the number of folks who reached out after I posted the first portrait! Queerantine then took on a life of its own and now I’m in the early stages of publishing all these beautiful people in a coffee table book for the world to see the most wholesome queer family portraits you ever saw! We need more visuals of love and joy in our history. And even though this was a hard time for most folks, there is so much joy in these images because of our pets. Stay tuned for updates on the book!

Queerantine:Next Chapter Caroline, Erinn & Teddy After buying a house in Highland Park, this sweet family's next chapter was a big move from Long Beach. Although, Teddy is not loving the amount of cats in the neighborhood, he is loving his new home with his family.

Looking back on some of the Queerantine portraits I’ve done throughout COVID, this one in particular really stands out for me. It’s been almost three years since most of the portraits you see on my grid and I’ve been catching up with some of the folks who sat for a portrait to see where they are today. A lot has changed for many of us. Here’s part of Jack & Teddy’s story Jack (They/them) & Teddy “I adopted Teddy 6 years ago in Texas when he was 10 and his vet gave him three months to live about three years ago so the whole pandemic was extra time with him I didn’t think I would get. He’s been with me through moving across the country, twice, in two different vans, coming out as queer and again as trans and I truly can’t imagine going through my 20s without him. I moved to the bay to go to law school [after our Quarantine Portrait] so that I could contribute to abolishing prisons and police. Living in my van allowed me to quit my job to focus on school. I volunteer on the Santa Rita Jail hotline to help support prisoners who are facing cruel treatment and horrible living conditions at the hands of the state.” [Teddy recently passed away, but has left his mark on so many hearts in his lifetime, i am so happy to have crossed his path. RIP Teddy] Message me if you’re interested in your follow up “Next Chapter” Queerantine Portrait! #queerphotographer #queerantineportrait #queerfamily #queerlove #lgbtqiaplus

New year, new you! Amber, Luna & Stuart Contact me for your Queerantine shoot or Queerantine: Next Chapter shoot Sliding scale portrait rates!

QUEERANTINE: Next Chapter Casey & Frankie They have matching black velour tracksuits now and bought a house! Congrats on you’re first house! Message me to book your Next chapter family portrait! #queerantine #nextchapter #familyportrait

QUEERANTINE! I started a project early in the pandemic in 2020. I wanted to show the connection between people who identified anywhere in the LGBTQIA+ community and their pets. I wanted to show how our pets can support us during stressful or scary times. I also wanted to find a way to do the thing that I love the most, taking portraits of people and animals. I drove all over Los Angeles to take family portraits of my queer community when we were told to stay home and isolate. I asked for a small donation in return for some high-quality images. All proceeds from this project were donated to queer and trans black lives in need. Together we raised over $3000. I am very proud of this project because it shows a very sweet side of our community. So often we see imagery that depicts our trauma and hardships. Although the pandemic was and still is to some, very traumatic, I wanted to show that there is still joy to be found in these images. And that joy deserves to be recorded in our history. • If anyone knows a literary agent that can help publish this collection of portraits please send them my way or DM me to discuss! • Sidenote, I am currently shooting “Queerantine: next chapter” a series of images two years after I started this project showcasing queers and their pets in the next chapter of their lives. Just think about how much has changed for all of us! If you’re interested in shooting your next chapter Portrait please DM me and we can set up a time for me to come to you and shoot your second set of portraits in your next chapter. I tried to tag as many people but Instagram only let me tag 20 people😬 sorry if I missed you!

QUEERANTINE: Next Chapter Jasmine “Jaz” (She/They) & Angelina Rollie (She/They) Like a lot of us, Jaz has been through a lot over the past year and a half. I know for myself, besides having a community/family, having a dog by my side during challenging times is, quite possibly, the only way I’ve survived those moments in my life. From Jaz: “Since the last shoot I went though a break up, moved, started a new job, and got Angelina Rollie. As of late I’ve also stepped into a role of being a caregiver to one of my parents after they suffered an accident this spring. The ebbs and flows of life can be challenging, beautiful, and transformational. I’m learning to trust my ability to grow, expand and find moments of healing and joy throughout the journey.” If you’re in your “Next chapter” since we last shot and want a next chapter portrait, message me for more details! #queerantine #Queerantinenextchapter #nextchapterinlife #bulldogs #adoptdontshop #queerphotographer #queerportraits #queerantineportraits #queerantinproject

QUEERANTINE: Next Chapter Sara(she/her) -Architect I met Sara, her then partner, and their dog almost 2 years ago when she reached out to do a Queerantine portrait. In the past two years she has gone through some big life changes and wanted to be a part of Queerantine:Next Chapter so she reached out again. Originally Queerantine Project was about lgbtqia families and their pets, but some have lost their pets along the way. I photographed her on the roof of her buildings and thought it was very fitting to have all the highrises behind an architect. She’s happy in her Next Chapter and maybe in ten years I’ll see what she’s up to for another update! If you scroll WAY back you can find Sara's original portrait. If you're interested in capturing your Next Chapter since we last shot, I'm happy to set up a quick session with you. DM me for more info about sliding scale donations! #queerantine #queerphotographer #queerportraits