Chicago Photography Workshop and Mentoring

I received a Facebook message yesterday that transported me back to my college Spring break.  I’ve been a photographer all my life, so my Spring breaks weren’t filled with Daytona and debauchery, they involved rolls of film and my camera.  In 1995, I rented a car and drove to Selma, Alabama to document the 30th Anniversary of the March for Voting Rights.  I wore a borrowed jacket, slept on YMCA floors with the marchers and spent a week shooting roll after roll of Tri-X film.  I was also featured in a local news piece, along with a marcher who uploaded the video to YouTube and kindly emailed it to me.

During the march, I photographed an historic moment when former Alabama Governor and staunch anti-Segregationist George Wallace held hands with SCLC leader Joseph Lowery, a leader in the original march, and sang “We Shall Overcome.”  This moment taught me that anyone can change, and it’s never too late to take that first step.

I’m so thankful to receive this video of myself as a very young and inexperienced photographer (though I wish I were dressed better, but hey, I was in college) at the start of the New Year.  I always wanted to become a photographer, so I became one.  I’ve made many mistakes along the way, had several setbacks of self-doubt that can cripple growth, and have grown stronger as a result.  I’ve made many changes recently to embrace the photographer I was in college, because amazing things can happen by simply visualizing who you want to be.

I’ve ditched my zooms and only shoot prime lenses (See what’s in my camera bag here), work with associate photographers and lighting assistants, and keep my business goals at the forefront by building a strong team.  You really can achieve what you want in life by visualizing it, and my career is proof that Manifesting works.  In 2016 I traveled to Porto, Madrid, London and held 3 Moment-Driven Workshops (2 in Chicago and one in London).

In 2017 I am so pleased to teach at the incredible Foundation Workshops in Texas and Spain, and will return to London as a featured speaker at the Snap Photography Festival.  I’ll also hold my second Moment-Driven Workshop: London and have several Moment-Driven Workshops: Chicago.

I’m also launching the Shoot With Your Heart Facebook group, come Join us for tips on how to grow your business (and change your life) with positive thought, how to conquer self-doubt and step outside your comfort zone, and how to capture great moments by being present IN the moment.  Stay tuned for Facebook Live updates, Workshop info and one-on-one Mentoring with me!

 

I’m so thankful for the photographer I was then,

https://youtu.be/nJ2EWkbzZnk

 

And NOW!

PHOTOGRAPHERS: JOIN the journey HERE!!   Let’s grow our branches together and make 2017 the best year yet!

 

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Chicago Pet Photographer

Dama may be in a wheelchair, but her spirit is unstoppable.

Through The See Hear Love Project™, her voice and her story are shared—so she can be truly seen, heard, and adopted. 

Thank you @sayvanimals for giving her the chance she deserves.  Thank you @salvageone for welcoming us to photograph Dama in your beautiful space. She was a little nervous Nelly that day, so we finished her session in the studio. We’re so grateful for your support in helping animals like Dama be seen, heard, and adopted. ❤️🐾
##chicagoshelterdogs
#adoptlocal
#rescuelocal
#chicagodogs
#chicagodogswithoutjobs 

SEEN. HEARD. LOVED.
This is Nala the cat. 🐾
Her reading wasn’t about adoption — it was about understanding.
Animal communication reveals what our pets are truly feeling.
Would you want to know what your cat is thinking?
Something extraordinary is beginning.
⠀
The See Hear Love Project™ gives foster animals more than a portrait—it gives them a voice. Through animal communication and photography, their stories will finally be shared with the world.
⠀
Follow along as we change lives, one portrait at a time.
⠀

#chicagoshelterdogs 
#adoptlocal 
#rescuelocal 
#chicagodogs 
#chicagodogswithoutjobs 

SEEN. HEARD. LOVED.
Meet Trixie — the very first foster animal to launch The See Hear Love Project™.

Rescued from Chicago Animal Care & Control and safe today thanks to @darkhorsedogs, Trixie opened her heart during her animal communication session and shared her wish: a forever family to love her gentle spirit.

Her story begins The See Hear Love Project — a movement that combines fine-art portraiture with animal communication to help foster animals be truly seen, heard, and adopted.

This October, in honor of National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, Trixie’s story highlights the countless foster animals still waiting to be adopted.

Follow along as more animals share their voices — and please share Trixie’s story to help her find her forever home.

#chicagoshelterdogs 
#adoptlocal 
#rescuelocal 
#chicagodogs 
#chicagodogswithoutjobs 

SEEN. HEARD. LOVED.
🐾 After Maggie’s first animal communication session, her words surprised us all.
But what she shared next was just as powerful…
This famous Chicago dog (@maggieandherdads )reminded us why animals deserve to be seen, heard, and loved. 
Her voice helped inspire The See Hear Love Project™ — a campaign giving foster animals a chance to tell their own stories through communication and fine-art portraiture.
Follow along to hear the voices of animals still waiting for a home.
#SeeHearLoveProject #AnimalCommunication #chicagoshelterdogs 
#adoptlocal 
#rescuelocal 
#chicagodogs 
#chicagodogswithoutjobs 

SEEN. HEARD. LOVED.
🐾 What happens when a famous dog finally speaks?
When Chicago’s beloved Maggie (@maggieandherdads) had her first animal communication session, she surprised us all with a message about her family:
“They’re my boys too. They don’t belong to everyone.”
She was talking about her dads — claiming them as her own.
That moment became the spark for The See Hear Love Project™ — the first campaign to combine animal communication with fine-art portraiture to help foster animals be truly seen, heard, and loved.
Follow along to hear the voices of animals waiting for a home.
#SeeHearLoveProject #AnimalCommunication #FosterSavesLives #chicagoshelterdogs 
#adoptlocal 
#rescuelocal 
#chicagodogs 
#chicagodogswithoutjobs 

SEEN. HEARD. LOVED.
The countdown is almost over.
Tomorrow, the very first story drops — and it’s one you’ll never forget.
Follow along as we take the next step toward The See Hear Love Project™.
#SeeHearLoveProject #AnimalCommunication #FosterSavesLives #ChicagoDogs #AdoptDontShop
Blossom stole the show. She hit her mark like a champ and made her Chicago pet portrait session effortless. Sound ON to hear what I really sound like while taking dog photographs!

Our location

Located in downtown Chicago.

1821 W. Hubbard St., Chicago, IL 60622

By appointment only

info@cusicphoto.com

 

Available for travel internationally, for pets & family photography, and education for photographers. Send us a note for details or reach us by phone at 312-248-2939.

 

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