Lisak first studied photography as an undergraduate at Harvard University. He went on to receive an MFA in photography from the Yale School of Art. He printed for the Walker Evans estate for 12 years in association with John T. Hill. He taught photography at Sacred Heart University for twenty years, where he designed and implemented courses in digital photography. He has been a guest lecturer and critic at several other universities. Lisak is a past board member and current member of the Connecticut Chapter of the American Society of Media Photographers. In 2023, Robert, along with co-author David Ottenstein, published Capitol America: A Photographic Portrait of the Fifty State Capitols. Robert has exhibited his work regularly throughout Connecticut and elsewhere and has been a regular participant in New Haven’s Citywide Open Studios. Lisak’s photographs are held in several private collections.