Mentoring for Photographers

Are you a photographer who is feeling visually stumped or uninspired?  Do you feel like you’re shooting the same shots, week after week?

I can help.

I started taking photographs at age six and ruined my mother’s countertop with darkroom chemicals while studying Photojournalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As a staff photojournalist for the Chicago Tribune, I traveled twice to India to document tsunami, photographed the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and was part of a team that won the a Pulitzer Prize in 2000.

I’ve taught photojournalism nearly every week for over a decade at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Critiquing photographs is part of my job, and I strive to teach others to step outside their comfort zones to create great photos.

I love to teach moment-driven portraiture and how to apply photojournalism principles to modern day weddings. I’ll help you address any challenges you are experiencing and together we’ll turn them into non-issues. I will show you how to prepare yourself effectively, teach you key steps throughout the photography process and give you the tools you need for your photographic toolkit. You’ll learn about photographing strangers, getting comfortable in any environment, establishing trust and how to capture memorable moments that will take your work to the next level.

HOW MENTOR SESSIONS WORK

 

We meet online so we can both see my computer screen. You can either Dropbox me your images or we can go through your website. Our session lasts 90 minutes, and no topic is out of bounds. I'm here to help you think more creatively, and will encourage you to be more thoughtful with your shooting.

 

SESSION TOPICS

- We can go through your latest shoot, frame by frame

- I can help you edit your next blog post, with your strongest images represented

- I can help you discover other ways to document a scene

- I can add to your "portrait session toolkit", so you're not struggling the next time your clients ask, "What do you want us to do?"

- We can put together a new portfolio, going through your best work and creating a concise body of work to show off your best

- Honestly, we can discuss whatever you want – I'm an open book!

 

Options

I also offer Shoot with Candice mentoring sessions, and the Moment-Driven Workshop .

Chicago Pet Photographer

Meet Charlie, the semi-feral cat from @sayvanimals 🐾

Thank you to Sayv Animals and foster mom Carol for everything you do to help this sweet boy—and so many others—find safety, love, and a second chance.

Every animal deserves to be Seen. Heard. Loved.™ 💙

#SeeHearLoveProject #ChicagoCats #AdoptLocal #FosterCats #CatRescue
Seen. Heard. Loved.

Candice C. Cusic has launched a powerful new project, The See Hear Love Project™, to spotlight the rising number of animals in Chicago shelters. In collaboration with local rescue groups, she’s giving a voice to animals who deserve a second chance and a loving home.

This one-of-a-kind initiative combines the art of animal communication with Cusic’s renowned photography to help each animal be seen, heard, and ultimately adopted. Follow along to meet them and discover their stories.

Since the filming of this video, Ramona has officially become a proud foster fail—aka ADOPTED! She now spends her days living her best life with her mom April, her dad, and five pig siblings, soaking up all the love, snacks, and belly rubs she could ever dream of. 🐷❤️

#chicago #explore #explorepage #fosteranimals #chicagolandpigrescue
SEEN. HEARD. LOVED.
Last year, 3,380 dogs and cats were euthanized in Chicago.
During his animal communication session, Tater shared something quietly heartbreaking:
“Sometimes I worry people won’t like me. I worry if I’m good enough.”
His foster mom couldn’t hold back tears — because he is good enough. Every dog waiting for a home is.
October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, and Chicago’s shelters are beyond capacity.
The See Hear Love Project™ unites animal communication and fine-art photography to give foster animals a voice — so they can finally be seen, heard, and adopted.
🐾 Featuring Tater from @darkhorsedogs
📍Created by Candice C. Cusic
#SeeHearLoveProject #AdoptAShelterDogMonth
SEEN. HEARD. LOVED.
Every foster animal has something to say.
Maggie’s animal communication session inspired the beginning of The See Hear Love Project™—and many more voices will follow.
#chicagoshelterdogs
#adoptlocal
#rescuelocal
#chicagodogs
#chicagodogswithoutjobs
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.

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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