Specializing in Nature Photography - Landscape Photography - Wildlife Photography

Fine Art Nature Prints & Murals - Healthcare Art - Corporate Art

Nature Greeting Cards - Personalized Christmas Cards - Nature & Wildlife Posters

Stock Photography - Editorial Photography - Assignment Photography

Digital Photography Classes - Private Photo Lessons - Learn Photography Blog

Public Speaking Programs - Photography Programs - Nature Programs

Mike MacDonald Photography, located in Downers Grove, Illinois, offers a broad range of nature photography products and services. Products include Nature Cards, Posters, and Fine Art Nature Prints (featuring the Midwest prairie) available in our online Fine Art Gallery & Nature Store. Photographic services include Stock Photography, Assignments Photography, Editorial Photography & Writing. Additionally, Mike MacDonald offers Creative Eye Workshops Nature & Digital Photography Classes designed for photographers who wish to discover their own personal style.

Our stock photography library features photos from around the Midwest and the United States with a specialization in the rare and wild natural habitats of the immediate Chicago, Illinois region, such as prairies, savannas, and wetlands.

Overall, Mike's nature photographs of the Chicago region are a celebration of biodiversity. Each photograph tells a story and has an important educational component. But, his photographs also take on very intimate perspectives that make the viewer feel part of the scene. They transcend the visual to create an emotional experience. Nowhere is there a such a comprehensive and high quality collection of photographs that feature the Chicago Wilderness region so powerfully.

Mike MacDonald's nature images have been published extensively in Chicago Wilderness Magazine, nationally in such publications as Outdoor Photographer Magazine, Boy's Life, and Petersen's Photographic Magazine, and internationally in Gardens' Illustrated Magazine.

Mike teaches digital photography classes and gives private photography lessons through his Creative Eye Workshops located in Downers Grove, Illinois. These comprehensive Chicago area photography classes cover both technical and creative paths starting with beginning photography classes through advanced courses. Photography outings to various locations are regularly offered as well. Our photography classes are held in Downers Grove, Illinois. They are so good that photographers travel from all over the Chicago area to take Mike's workshops: from nearby western suburbs like Oak Brook, Naperville, Hinsdale, Bolingbrook, Aurora. Lisle, Lemont, Plainfield, Woodridge, and Wheaton, south from Orland Park, Tinley Park, Frankfort, all the way down to Manhattan and Indiana, east from LaGrange and Oak Park to Evanston and downtown Chicago, and northwest Algonquin, Barrington, Bartlett, and Elgin, and even Woodstock. See Mike's insightful photography blog that celebrates Chicago nature and nature photography.

Mike is also the creator of the GET FOCUSED! Hyperfocal Distance Calculator: a depth of field reference card that is essential for the landscape photographer to get everything in focus.

To help communicate with family, friends, or clients we offer a full line of personalized cards. We will custom print your message in any of our elegant nature cards. Because nature is universally appreciated, so are our nature cards. They make an excellent communication tool for many occasions including Thanksgiving, as holiday and Christmas cards, and as New Year's cards. And, now, you can buy card gift boxes with gold or silver ribbons so you can more easily give our cards as gifts.

Visit Mike MacDonald Photography Online for:

• Art Gallery featuring nature & wildlife products from The Heart of Nature^TM & Chicago Nature Series^TM Collections including:
  
  • Limited Edition Photographic Prints (fine art photographs) featuring universal themes of nature from Chicago, Illinois and the United States.
  • Fine Art Nature Prints & Landscape Murals: A print is not art unless the photographer, himself, performs the actual color work and color management. But, most do not, especially the most famous photographers. Either they're too busy, but most often, don't understand the process. It is impossible for a lab technician, even if told, to capture the nuances and essence of what the photographer wished to express. The print becomes diluted by the lab tech's personality and personal choices. The print is not made by the hand of the artist, but of a hired hand. It is not the art of the photographer. But, a Mike MacDonald photograph is made by Mike, himself. Starting as transparency film or a digitally captured file, over a period of days, Mike meticulously brings into existence a truthful print that that transmits his intentions and emotions, a print that emits the essence of his own personal experience.
  • Corporate Art: Decrease worker stress, increase worker productivity, and reduce sick days by bringing the tranquility of nature into the office with one of Mike's breathtaking nature prints or murals.
  • Healthcare Art: Perfect for hospitals, cancer & oncology units, medical centers, and waiting rooms, Mike's sublime nature prints and murals feature familiar examples of everyday scenes in hopes of bringing a little normalcy and peace to patients and their families.
  • Nature & Wildlife Posters featuring an affordable way to own a Mike MacDonald photograph.
  • Art Cards (note cards / greeting cards): Our powerful nature cards feature many nature images from every season ranging from spring wildflowers to summer prairies, fall colors to Midwest winter landscapes, flowing rivers and wildlife scenes to natural ice sculputures. Because of the variety, you can buy an assortment for use as Christmas cards, thanks you cards, and birthday cards. And you save with quantity discounts!
  • Custom Printed Cards: Let us custom imprint your personalized message and name on the inside of any our art cards. Personalized Christmas Cards are the obvious choice, but how about custom printed thank you cards to your employees? Or, consider sending Thanksgiving cards or New Year's cards to your clients (minimum order of 50).
• Stock Photography Research from stock photography nature library of Mike MacDonald. Call toll free 1-877-MAC-FOTO or Email Us with your nature stock photography research request. Our stock photo researcher will contact you.
• Stock Nature Photography Library includes wildlife and nature photographs from Chicago, Illinois, The Midwest (Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan), The West (Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Utah), The Southwest (Arizona), The Nortwest (Oregon, Washington), Florida, United States national parks and national forests.
• Editorial Photography & Travel Photography for editorial & magazine assignments worldwide.
• Digital Photography Classes including Landscape & Nature Photography Workshops. for beginning to advanced photographers who wish to discover their own personal style (see Photography Class Schedule)
• Private Photography Lessons to accelerate your photography to the next level.
• Nature Photography Techniques & Tips featuring several how-to articles.
• Nature Photography Blog for Nature Lovers & Photographers that celebrates nature and biodiversity through Mike's journeys in the wilds of Chicago.
• Public Speaking Programs about photography and nature for photo groups, libraries, organization meetings, and corporate events.
• GET FOCUSED! Hyperfocal Distance Calculator: Use this handy reference card and, in a glance, know how to set your camera to maximize the depth of field for that landscape photograph.

Stock Photography Locations & Subject Matter Include:

• North American Locations
  • The Midwest: Porcupine Mountains State Park (Michigan), Upper Peninsula, Michigan, Door County (Wisconsin), Chiwaukee Prairie (Wisconsin), Shawnee National Forest (Southern Illinois) and numerous locations in the Chicago, Illinois area.
    • Chicago, Illinois area: Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Lake County Forest Preserves, Forest Preserve District of Will County, Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, Messenger Woods (Will County - south Chicago area), Bluff Spring Fen (Elgin, Illinois - Cook County) Chiwaukee Prairie (Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin - Kenosha County) Wolf Road Prairie (Westchester, Illinois - Cook County), Gensburg-Markham Prairie (Markham, Illinois - Cook County), Harms Woods (Glenview, Illinois - Cook County), Lockport Prairie (Lockport, Illinois - Will County), Belmont Prairie (DuPage County, Illinois), Fermilab Prairie (DuPage County, Illinois), West Chicago Prairie (West Chicago, Illinois - DuPage County), Illinois Beach State Park (Zion, Illinois - Lake County) Pilcher Park (Joliet, Illinois - Will County - far southwest Chicago area), Raccoon Grove (Will County - Monee, Illinois - far south Chicago area), Black Partridge Woods (Lemont, Illinois - Cook County - southwest Chicago area), Spears Woods (Cook County - Willow Springs, Illinois - south Chicago area), Middlefork Savanna (Lake Forest, Illinois - Lake County), McGinnis Slough (Cook County - Orland Park, Illinois), Saganashkee Slough (Cook County - Palos Hills, Illinois), Maple Lake (Cook County - Palos Hills, Illinois), Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve (DuPage County, Illinois, west of Chicago), Morton Arboretum (Lisle, Illinois - DuPage County - west of Chicago), Lake in the Hills Fen (Lake in the Hills, McHenry County - northwestern Chicago area), Clark & Pine Nature Preserve (Gary, Indiana), Miller Woods (Gary, Indiana), Invanhoe Nature Preserve (Gary, Indiana), Indiana Dunes (Porter County, Indiana), Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (Porter County, Indiana)
  • The West: Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming), Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming), Wind River Range (Wyoming), Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado), Yankee Boy Basin (Colorado), Arches National Park (Utah), Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah), Canyonlands National Park (Utah), Glacier National Park (Montana), Joshua Tree National Park (California), Yosemite National Park (California)
  • The Southwest: Canyon de Chelly (Arizona), Grand Canyon (Arizona), Monument Valley (Arizona), Painted Desert (Arizona), Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona), Picacho Peak (Arizona), Oak Creek Canyon (Sedona, Arizona), Saquaro National Park (Tucson, Arizona), Sedona, Arizona, Sunset Crater (Arizona)
  • The Northwest: Olympic National Park (Washington), Olympic Peninsula (Washington), Mount Rainier National Park (Washington), Columbia River Gorge (Portland, Oregon),
  • The Southeast: The birds of Florida including Venice, Fort Myers, Ding Darling, Sanibel Island, and Everglades National Park (Florida)
  • Wildflowers: Virginia bluebells, large-flowered trillium, prairie trillium, mayapple, skunk cabbage, blue-eyed Mary, wild leek, bloodroot, false rue anemone, dutchman's breeches, cut-leaved toothwort, swamp smartweed, hibiscus, swamp rose mallow, indian paintbrush, Liatris (marsh blazing star, rough blazing star), blue flag iris, purple coneflower, yellow coneflower, purple prairie clover, rattlesnake master, bird's foot violet, lousewort or wood betony, lupine, spiderwort, scurfy pea, partridge pea, skunk cabbage, evening primrose, prairie coneflower, black-eyed Susan, blue flag iris, prairie sundrops, false rue anemone, rattlesnake master, dutchman's breeches, cut-leaved toothwort, nodding wild onion, swamp smartweed, hibiscus, swamp rose mallow, indian paintbrush, wild bergamot or menarda, shooting star, Culver's root, lead plant, cotton grass, hoary puccoon, showy tick trefoil, foxglove beard tongue, prairie phlox, pasture rose, Joe Pye weed, common milkweed, swamp milkweed, nodding wild onion, butterfly weed or butterfly milkweed, yellow star grass, sand coreopsis, golden alexanders, compass plant, western sunflower, prairie dock, cup plant, tall coreopsis, sneezeweed, showy goldenrod, saw-toothed sunflower, tall goldenrod, stiff goldenrod, starry false Solomon's seal, flowering spurge, meadow anemone, wild quinine, whorled milkweed, mountain mint, prairie grasses, sedges, porcupine grass, prairie brome, big bluestem, side-oats grama, Indian grass, prairie dropseed, little bluestem, etc.
  • Wading Birds & Waterfowl: great blue heron, great egret (endangered species), great white heron, black-crowned night heron, yellow-crowned night heron, green heron, little blue heron, tri-colored heron (Louisiana heron), snowy egret, common gallinule (moorhen), purple gallinule, white ibis, glossy ibis, pied-billed grebe, trumpeter swan, wood stork (endangered species), Canada goose (Canada geese), double-crested cormorant, mallard duck, ring-billed gull, anhinga, brown pelican, white pelican
  • Other Birds: red-winged blackbird, belted kingfisher, rufous hummingbird, black vulture, osprey
  • Reptiles: alligators, turtles, snakes
  • Mammals: white-tailed deer, mule deer, coyote, raccoon, moose, elk (wapiti), bison, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, yellow-bellied marmot, muskrat

PHOTOGRAPHY CLASSES by Creative Eye Workshops are conveniently located, offering a wide variety of photography classes in the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove, Illinois, (near Naperville, IL). Because we are located off the 63rd Street/Hobson Road exit of I-355 and close to main thoroughfares like Warrenville Road, Ogden Avenue, Belmont Road/Finley Road, 75th Street, Butterfield Road, and Route 53, we are quickly and immediately accessible from nearby towns like Bolingbrook, Lisle, Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Oak Brook, Westmont, Woodridge, Plainfield, and Aurora. But, because of our accessibility, students come from all around to take our weekday evening photo courses, including those from Oak Park, La Grange, Orland Park, Schaumburg, Arlington Heights, and the city of Chicago. Students have driven from as far as away as Indiana, McHenry County, and Evanston because they know that we offer something better and different.