A few years ago, I came across an article that stopped me in my tracks.
It named Candice C. Cusic Photography the Best Pet Photographer in Chicago.
You can read the article here.
Being recognized in a city filled with talented photographers meant a great deal to me. It also made me think about a much more important question:
What actually makes someone the best pet photographer?
After spending more than two decades behind a camera, I don’t believe it is the camera someone uses, the number of followers they have or how perfectly an animal can sit.
I believe it comes down to something much simpler.
Can I create a portrait that reminds you exactly who your animal is?
Not just what your dog looks like.
Not just whether your cat cooperates.
But who they are.
Their personality. Their spirit. The expression their family recognizes instantly.
That is what I have devoted my career to preserving.
My Journey Didn’t Begin With Pets
Before opening my Chicago portrait studio, I spent more than eleven years as a staff photojournalist at the Chicago Tribune. I photographed presidents, celebrities, championship celebrations, breaking news and ordinary people living through extraordinary moments. I was also proud to be part of the Tribune staff awarded the Pulitzer Prize.
Photojournalism taught me lessons I still use every day.
You cannot manufacture authentic emotion.
You cannot rush a meaningful moment.
You have to observe, anticipate and recognize the instant something real happens.
When I began photographing animals, I realized they deserved that same approach.
Animals do not care about posing perfectly. They simply show us who they are—when we are patient enough to notice.
Photography Taught Me to See. Animal Communication Taught Me to Listen.
One of the most unexpected chapters of my career has been becoming a certified animal communicator.
It was not something I imagined adding to my work as a photographer, but it has changed the way I understand animals and their relationships with the people who love them.
For families who choose my Portrait Experience, our time together begins with an animal communication session before I ever pick up my camera.
These conversations may reveal a favorite activity, a memory, a strong opinion, or something an animal wants their family to understand. Sometimes they are funny. Sometimes they are deeply emotional. They always remind me that every animal is an individual with a distinct personality and perspective.
Animal communication does not replace photography.
It deepens it.
By the time I begin creating portraits, I am no longer photographing a stranger. I am photographing someone whose story I have already begun to understand.
You can learn more about the Portrait Experience, including the animal communication session and artwork credit, here:
EXPLORE THE ANIMAL COMMUNICATION AND PORTRAIT EXPERIENCE
Every Animal Deserves to Be Seen as an Individual
No two portrait sessions are ever the same.
Some dogs burst through the studio doors convinced we are already best friends.
Others quietly watch everything before deciding whether they trust me.
Some cats explore every corner of the studio before acknowledging the camera.
Senior animals may need more time and physical support. Puppies may have enough energy for the entire room.
None of that is a problem.
I do not want to make your animal fit into my idea of a perfect portrait. I want to discover what makes them unlike anyone else.
That is the portrait you will recognize immediately.
That is the portrait you will treasure years from now.
Why My Portrait Experience Is Different
A meaningful portrait does not happen because an animal was forced into a pose.
It happens when the right support, preparation, and patience are built into the experience.
Every studio portrait session includes a professional animal trainer at no additional cost.
To the best of my knowledge, mine is the only Chicago portrait studio that includes a professional animal trainer as a standard part of the experience.
The trainer is not there because your dog needs training.
The trainer is there so your animal can feel safe, comfortable, and successful while I focus completely on photographing the moments that matter.
While the trainer safely guides attention and helps manage the session, I can watch for the slight head tilt, the sudden burst of joy, the quiet glance toward you, and the expressions that appear for only a fraction of a second.
That teamwork allows me to create stronger photographs without asking you to manage your animal while also trying to look relaxed in front of the camera.
Moment-Driven Photography™
I call my approach Moment-Driven Photography™.
Rather than building a session around rigid poses, I create space for authentic moments to happen.
I watch.
I wait.
I anticipate.
The best photograph may happen when your dog leans into you unexpectedly, when your cat gives me one perfectly unimpressed look or when your animal turns toward the person they trust most.
Those moments cannot be manufactured.
They must be recognized.
That philosophy began during my years as a photojournalist and continues to shape every portrait I create today.
The Experience Begins Before the Session
Before your portrait session, we meet for a personal studio consultation.
This gives us time to talk about your animals, your family, your home and the artwork you hope to create.
We can explore sizes, finishes and wall arrangements before the session so I know exactly what I am photographing toward.
Your session is not designed to produce hundreds of disconnected files.
It is designed to create a collection of meaningful photographs that work together in your home.
Your Experience Does Not End When the Session Does
After your session, I guide you through choosing the portraits and artwork that best tell your family’s story.
When your finished artwork is ready, it is personally delivered and professionally installed in your home at no additional cost.
You are not handed a heavy piece of artwork and asked to figure out the proper height, spacing or hardware yourself.
I want to leave your home knowing everything is secure, beautifully placed and ready to be enjoyed.
That service is not an upgrade.
It is part of the experience.
Why I Believe Artwork Matters
We take thousands of photographs every year.
Most remain on our phones.
Some are shared once on social media.
Many are eventually forgotten.
The portraits I create are meant to live differently.
They are designed to become part of your home and part of your family’s visual history.
You walk past them every day.
They remind you of a relationship that has changed your life.
Years from now, they may become some of the most meaningful things you own.
Photography is not only about remembering what someone looked like.
It is about remembering how loving them felt.
See the Work
Every animal and every family brings something different into my studio.
You can explore my pet and family portrait portfolio here:
As you look through the photographs, I hope you see more than beautiful animals.
I hope you see personality, connection, humor, tenderness and the tiny moments that make every relationship unique.
Looking Ahead
My work has continued to expand through The See Hear Love Project™, which combines animal communication, fine-art portraiture and documentary filmmaking to tell the stories of individual animals.
Whether I am creating artwork for a family, photographing a rescue animal or directing a documentary film, my purpose remains the same:
To help people see the individual.
Every animal deserves to be seen.
Every animal deserves to be heard.
Every animal deserves to be remembered.
Thank You
Being named the Best Pet Photographer in Chicago is an incredible honor.
But what matters most to me is not the title.
It is knowing that families have trusted me with some of the most meaningful relationships of their lives.
To every person who has invited me to photograph the animals you love, thank you.
I never take that trust for granted.
And I will continue doing everything I can to create portraits that remind you not only what your animal looked like—but exactly who they are.
