Your own package menu for pet photography in Chicago, from Lincoln Park to Hyde Park
Each package you offer sets the shoot length, the number of edited photos, the price, a delivery deadline of 3, 7 or 14 days and up to 3 revision rounds. Owners in Lakeview and Logan Square read all of it before they book. Once you are approved, the shoots you post reach people nearby first.
In Chicago, photographing on Petme starts with an approved sitter profile and continues with a separate photography application in the app.
Post a shoot and let Chicago owners come to your menu
A finished session from Wicker Park or Andersonville makes a good post. Owners nearby see it early in their home feed, like it, follow you and open your profile, where they can message you about a shoot.
Every session can be a post
When a shoot in Chicago is done, post your best frames with a short caption about the dog, the light or the spot.
Local before distant
Owners in Chicago scroll a home feed that puts posts from people around them first, and that includes your shoots.
Your profile, one tap away
From any of your posts, an owner near Logan Square reaches your profile and can send you a message.
Rules and weather to plan around in Chicago
Check these before you book a spot for a client in Chicago. They come from the city's own pages and from NOAA climate normals.
Dog Friendly Area permits
Each dog needs a Dog Friendly Area permit and tag from a participating veterinarian, at $10 per dog from January 1 to December 31. Using one without a permit risks a $500 fine, and dogs stay leashed before entering and after leaving, as at Montrose Beach and Puptown (4900 N. Marine Drive).
Park photography needs a permit
The Chicago Park District requires a permit for photography in its parks. Its list covers non-commercial sessions such as engagement and wedding photos as well as commercial shoots.
Warm July, wet May
At O'Hare the July average high is 84.5°F and January's is 31.6°F. May is the wettest month at 4.49 inches.
Up to 3 packages, every price yours
Petme sets no photography rate in Chicago. You build a menu of 1 to 3 packages, and each one sets the shoot length, the number of edited photos, the price, the delivery deadline and the revision rounds. Owners see all of it before they book.
Shoot length and edited photos
Set by you for each package, so owners know what they are booking
Price and delivery deadline
Your price, and a delivery deadline of 3, 7 or 14 days per package
Revision rounds
From 0 to 3 rounds in each package, re-delivered within 3 days
What a pet photographer costs in the US
This is the national rate owners pay pet photographers, from the source below. Rates in Chicago can sit above or below it. On Petme you set your own package prices; this is a reference, not a promise of earnings.
Pet photographer, per hour
$115 to $200 per hour
Source: Thumbtack pet photography cost guide, checked October 2026.
Chicago areas you can cover
Pick the parts of Chicago you cover, from Lincoln Park and Wicker Park to Lakeview. For a shoot at the owner's home you set a travel radius from where you are. Outdoors, the owner names the spot. In your studio, the owner comes to you. You choose which of the three you offer.
Made for working pet photographers in Chicago
Paid when the owner accepts
Your payout follows when the owner accepts the delivery. If they say nothing for 3 days it counts as accepted, so there are no invoices to chase.
Owners see the package first
Duration, edited photos, price, delivery deadline and revision rounds are on the page before anyone books, so a request already matches what you offer.
Originals stay full quality
You deliver full-quality originals in the app, never recompressed. The owner sees watermarked previews until they accept.
How to start photographing pets on Petme in Chicago
1. Become a Petme sitter
Download the Petme app, build your sitter profile with the Chicago areas you cover and pass ID verification.
2. Send the photography application
Add a portfolio of animal photos, at least one proof of paid professional work (a business registration, a client invoice, or a professional website or social profile) and your declarations. If it is not approved, you can apply again after 15 days.
3. Build your menu
Once approved, set up to 3 packages: shoot length, edited photos, price, a delivery deadline of 3, 7 or 14 days and 0 to 3 revision rounds. Choose where you shoot.
4. Post your shoots
Share photos and videos from your sessions. The home feed shows them first to people nearby, so local owners can find your profile and message you.
Pet photographer jobs in Chicago
Questions pet photographers in Chicago ask before applying.
Are there pet photographer jobs near me in Chicago?
What is a pet photographer salary in Chicago?
What is the job description of a pet photographer in Chicago?
Do pet portrait jobs exist on Petme in Chicago?
Do I need a permit to shoot pet photos in Chicago parks?
How can I become a dog photographer in Chicago?
Do I need paid experience to be a pet photographer in Chicago?
Pet photographer jobs elsewhere in the US
The other US cities with a pet photography page, closest to Chicago first. Each one lists the neighborhoods you can cover there.
Bring your pet photography to Petme in Chicago
Become a Petme sitter, send the photography application from the app with your portfolio and proof, then post your shoots so owners nearby see them.
