Thank you Chicagoland for the opportunity to provide you with natural style family and pet portraits for the past eight years. As of October 2011, Pet Photos studio is no longer booking photo sessions, however you may still place an order from previous photo sessions.
Pet Photos was featured in "Best of the City"
Airing locally through Comcast On Demand
December 2008 through February 2009
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"Best Pet Photographer 2010!"
Lisa Kruss has loved animals since she can remember. She began taking pictures of her cherished pets at the age of 9 and hasn't stopped since. These days, Lisa's talent is highly sought after by people who share the same love and adoration for their pets, and consider them "part of the family."
Volunteering in the community
Animals have always been a large part of Lisa's life, and in many ways, her inspiration. Lisa is a strong supporter of animal rescue programs, and spent two years volunteering as an adoption counselor at West Suburban Humane Society. In April 2003, Lisa adopted Sparky, an amazing, senior-aged Dalmatian, after seeing his photo on Petfinder.com. Thanks Sara for savin' my boy!
After adopting Sparky, Lisa and her dog trained in agility together, and then became certified as Delta Society Pet Partners (sometimes referred to as being a therapy dog) for visits with the adoring residents of local assisted-living centers. They also participated in the 2004 and 2005 annual therapy dog event for teens in the special education program at Hinsdale South High School called Unconditional Love, and met the kids at NEDSRA 2006 and 2007 Halloween parties - where Sparky posed for photos and got lots of hugs! Also an experienced "pet model," Sparky's photos have appeared in Chicagoland Tails magazine, Living Without magazine, and K9 Kool Hats web catalog.
Since 2006, Lisa has also donated graphic design services, photography and project coordination to PetsNPatients Foundation - a local not for profit organization which recognizes the healing bond between patients and their pets, shares inspirational stories, and connects volunteer foster homes with patients who might otherwise not be able to care for their pets while hospitalized. Lisa has also donated photography services to Canine Companions for Independence a national non-profit organization that provides highly-trained assistance dogs to children and adults with disabilities and design services for the Animal Care League Shelter newsletter.
In July, 2005, Lisa became a volunteer for Dalmatian Rescue of Illinois when she brought home a rescued Dalmatian to foster, a sweet soul named Sammy who was abandoned by his family - loving him and training him until he was adopted into his forever home.
In October 2008, Lisa photographed the first annual Dalmatian Rescue reunion picnic, and was thrilled to be a part of the celebration for the many dogs who found loving homes through this wonderful organization. During February 2009, Lisa brought home her second and third Dalmatian foster dogs, a super-sweet 8-year old female named Maxie, and a 10-year old gentle spirit named BJ. Hugs to you Maxie and BJ! Lisa also continues to donate photography services to Dalmatian Rescue of Illinois - capturing images for petfinder.com to promote dogs in foster care who are ready for adoption - and offers local rescue groups special pricing for capturing photos of their adoptable pets currently in rescue.
Dog training and resources
Lisa is a fan of the Whole Dog Journal, dog and cat health and nutrition books, and updated reports about animal-safe, reduced vaccination protocols. She loves to watch Cesar Millan's TV show The Dog Whisperer on National Geographic Channel. Lisa believes in species-appropriate diets, and prepared meals for her dog at home. She knows that all animals have souls.
- "Best Pet Photographer" First Runner-up for
Chicagoland Tails Readers' Choice Awards, 2010 - "Best Pet Photographer" Favorite
Chicagoland Tails Readers' Choice Awards, 2009 - "Best Pet Photographer" First Runner-up for
Chicagoland Tails Readers' Choice Awards, 2008 - Customer Service Award, Village of Lombard, 2008
- Best Overall Photo Contest Winner, Chicagoland Tails, 2004
- 1st Place Photo Contest Winner, Indigo Wild, 2004
- Influential Women in Business Award, 2002
- Today's Young Executives Award, 2001
Lisa has a huge library of dog and cat images available for licensing please contact her to discuss your image requirements.
Lisa's pet photography is published both locally and internationally, and she provides a variety of services for the pet industry including custom and stock pet imagery, headshots for pet models and actors, selection of pet models for special projects, photography of pets modeling apparel and accesories for pet couture catalogs, referrals of animal talent, graphic design, advertising and writing. Commercial clients click here
The services Lisa provides are dedicated to her own beloved pets whose souls went to the Rainbow Bridge before their time:
- "Loki" September 19, 2002
- "Milo" April 16, 2004
- "Simba" June 23, 2005
- "Sparky" February 8, 2008 (my inspiration, and heart dog)
Lisa specializes in natural style family and pet photography at her professional portrait studio. Pet Photos is located in Lombard, Illinois, just 30 miles west of Chicago. Images presented on this website are © copyrighted by Lisa Kruss and may not be reproduced, copied, projected, used or altered in any way, alone or with any other images, by use of the computer or other electronic means, without specific permission or by commercial licensing agreement. To request use of imagery, contact Lisa using the contact form on this website.
