Local weatherman’s love of nature beyond meteorology
Mike Caplan’s backyard is idyllic with a flower garden, birds of all kinds including hummingbirds and goldfinches, and even an occasional fawn napping on a neighbor’s lawn. Sights like this in Wadsworth, Ill. make for plenty of nature photos.
These are all part of the TV weatherman’s love of nature. Caplan, known for his weather forecasts at 4 p.m. weekdays on ABC Channel 7, also likes to travel so he can photograph animals like Yellowstone’s elk, the majestic American eagle, bears fishing for salmon, green herons and friendly foxes.
Caplan said, “Photography is a great pastime. It gets me outdoors and connects me with nature.”
His shoots span from Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New England, Utah’s national parks and Arizona. His photos are available for sale at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Ill. and on his Web site, CaplanStudios.com.
Caplan’s first camera was a 35 mm Minolta, purchased after a summer job at Great America, but now he shoots digitally with a Canon. “It’s so convenient to shoot whatever you want and take a look at the back of your camera and see if it’s any good,” he said. “With film you have to wait, you can’t make adjustments on the fly. The quality is as good or sometimes better.”
“This is still a hobby for me, but if there’s a small demand for what I’m shooting, why not share them for a small fee?” Caplan said. “It’s creative expression for me, but I don’t consider myself an artist. I think I have a certain degree of talent for seeing light and composition.”
What do you think? Is Mike Caplan an artist? Visit the Caplan Studios Web site and see for yourself.
This original article appeared in the Daily Herald on June 27, 2009 and can be read on their Web site, here.