Save Local Businesses: Portraits of Chicago Businesses Under Lockdown

We are so happy our Save Local Businesses was featured on ABC 7 with the impeccable Hosea Sanders!  Watch the video above and check out the full story HERE!

Here are some of our latest photographs from the Save Local Businesses project.

 

I started Save Local Businesses: West Town because our doors are closed, but you can still help us.⁠ ⁠ With the help of the West Town Chamber of Commerce and the Wicker Park Chamber of Commerce, my goal for this project is to photograph (from a distance) local business owners, share their stories and provide the face behind their closed doors and dark windows.⁠ ⁠ We are doing this to showcase the effect the pandemic has on local businesses. This allows you to share with others what can be done to support/save small business.⁠

Want to support this project?  I appreciate your DONATION!  Like the businesses I photograph, I have a storefront studio under lockdown.  We also have GIFT CERTIFICATES available for your own photographic session!

Want to be a part of Save Local?  Fill out the form below!

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  • Michael BremerMay 18, 2020 - 4:35 am

    Candice,
    This is really terrific with your giving a voice and a picture to what is happening.  I’m not sure what the best decision should be for dealing with the virus but most experts around the world voted for social distancing and flattening the curve.  It makes sense, but the economy and more importantly many small businesses within the economy are paying a high price.  We moved from Chicago two years ago.  My heart is still there and I really like what you are doing with this project.ReplyCancel

Chicago Pet Photographer

I created The See Hear Love Project to help animals like Blanca.
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Painfully shy. Dumped on a road before the rain came. Nervous around strangers. Ears down. Tail tucked.
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For those new to the project, these are not carefree, well-adjusted animals. Many have experienced neglect, abandonment, fear, or loss.
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Sometimes we only get one photograph when they truly relax.
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Thankfully, we only need one.
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Please visit my page to see Blanca's full story.
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Special thanks to @sayvanimalorg for bringing Blanca to The See Hear Love Project.
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"All I want
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is to feel loved and safe."
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— Blanca
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Seen. Heard. Loved.
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#TheSeeHearLoveProject #SeenHeardLoved #RescueDog
One of the best things about photographing Ramona is watching everyone react to a pig in the building.

People stopped.

They smiled.

They took selfies.

One gentleman asked if I could wait so he could FaceTime his girlfriend because she loves pigs.

The hardest thing about photographing a pig is that pigs don't stop moving.

Ever.

This portrait worked because Ramona kept walking in circles, allowing us to see her body and face at the same time.

Not shown: Ramona chewed up the paper backdrop on set. Her pig squeal echoed through the studio—loud, proud, and impossible to ignore, just like Ramona herself.

"Thank you

for saving my life."

— Ramona

The See Hear Love Project combines professional photography and animal communication. Each portrait is paired with one of the most powerful messages the animal shared during their communication session.

Seen. Heard. Loved.

@chicagolandpigrescue

#TheSeeHearLoveProject #RescuePig #SeenHeardLoved
Some dogs don’t just fit into a family — they become part of its heartbeat.
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Eddie was pure joy to photograph with his two favorite people. The connection between them was effortless, loving, and completely real.
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These are the moments worth remembering.
Meet Zeno.

After being surrendered by his owner, Zeno has spent more than a year waiting at Red Door Animal Shelter for someone to choose him.

And somehow, after all this time, he’s still soft. Still trusting. Still hopeful.

Cats like Zeno don’t need perfection. They just need someone willing to see them.

Seen. Heard. Loved.

📍 Red Door Animal Shelter

🐾 Available for adoption
Meet Zeno.

After being surrendered by his owner, Zeno has spent more than a year waiting at Red Door Animal Shelter for someone to choose him.

And somehow, after all this time, he’s still soft. Still trusting. Still hopeful.

Cats like Zeno don’t need perfection. They just need someone willing to see them.

Seen. Heard. Loved.

📍 Red Door Animal Shelter

🐾 Available for adoption
Welcome to The See Hear Love Project™.
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Created by Chicago photographer and animal communicator Candice C. Cusic, this one-of-a-kind project combines animal communication and fine-art portraiture to help foster animals be seen, heard, and adopted.
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Each story begins with connection.
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Seen. Heard. Loved.
Honored to speak with WGN’s Spotlight Chicago about The See Hear Love Project™ — a one-of-a-kind series combining animal communication and fine-art portraiture to help foster animals be seen, heard, and adopted.
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Seen. Heard. Loved.

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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