Photo Outings

  • In keeping with our Monthly Photo Outing at the Arboretum, the theme for the month of December will be “Drama” with the group outing on Saturday, December 6, 2025.

  • Nestled among rolling woodlands and quiet shorelines in Willow Springs, Maple Lake Farm Forest Preserve offers stunning reflections of vibrant autumn foliage at its peak. On October 23 at our next Photo Outing

  • In keeping with our monthly Photo Outing at the Arboretum, the theme for the month of October will be “Drama” with the group outing on Saturday, October 11, 2025 from 7:00am – 10:00am.  Note: This is a different date than the regularly scheduled outing due to scheduling conflicts. “The eye should learn to listen before it looks.” – Robert Frank We will meet by 7:15am in parking lot # 1. This is the main parking lot by the Visitor Center. Meet in the furthest east corner near Meadow Lake where we can head off in either a group or on your own. Be sure to dress for the weather and bring the necessary gear.  Sign up here for the October Outing at the Arboretum. Afterward, be sure to…

  • Join MAPS on September 16 for a Photo Outing to St. James Farm in Warrenville. The 595-acre forest preserve contains more than 100 acres of woodlands, prairies, and wetlands. The grounds are home to more than 300 native plant species and wildlife, including great blue herons, red-bellied woodpeckers, white-breasted nuthatches, coyotes, fox squirrels and white-tailed deer.  St. James Farm also contains a riding stable and many farm outbuildings brightly colored for architectural photography. A massive wood-planked German-style barn, a gabled-roof-and-wing farmhouse and a colonial-style red brick stable are on the property.   We will meet at 07:30 AM (one hour after sunrise, when the preserve opens) in the parking lot at…

  • In keeping with our monthly Photo Outing at the Arboretum, the theme for the month of September will be “Patterns in Nature” with the group outing on Saturday, September 6, 2025 from 7:00am – 10:00am.   “Photography helps people to see.” – Berenice Abbott We will meet by 7:15am in the Schulenburg Prairie parking lot where we can head off in either a group or on your own. Be sure to dress for the weather and bring the necessary gear. 

  • In keeping with our Monthly Photo Outing at the Arboretum, the theme for the month of July will be “Joy” with the group outing on Saturday, July 5, 2025 from 7:00am - 10:00am.  

  • Please join us at the Chicago Botanic Garden Saturday July 19 at 7 a.m. (better light, fewer people) for a tour, shooting session and feedback opportunity.

  • Lilacia Park, a horticultural gem designed by the renowned landscape architect Jens Jensen, offers an 8-acre canvas of breathtaking beauty. With over 700 lilacs and 35,000 tulips in full bloom, this compact park is a photographer's dream.

  • In keeping with our Monthly Photo Outing at the Arboretum, the theme for the month of March will be “Expression” with the group outing on Saturday, March 8, 2025. We will meet by 7:15am in the Thornhill Parking Lot.

  • Who doesn’t love orchids? So why not join  MAPS photographic outing to Orchids By Hausermann in Villa Park. It promises to be a fun time for all.  Established in 1920, Orchids By Hausermann is one of the oldest and largest orchid growers in the Midwest.

  • In keeping with our Monthly Photo Outing at the Arboretum, the theme for the month of February will be “Light” with the group outing on Saturday, February 8, 2025.

  • This month’s theme for the group outing at The Morton Arboretum is "Winter’s Beauty." "The photograph itself doesn’t interest me. I want only to capture a minute part of reality." – Henri Cartier-Bresson

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