MAPS members can sign up for each event listed below by following the specified link. Remember that signing up an event means agreeing to the MAPS Photo Outing Waiver of Liability.
Members that attend an event will be able to share their images with others after the outing. Create JPG or PNG images that are 2000 pixels on the long side, saved with a sRGB color space, then you can drag and drop them to Google Photos using the link provided. The link appears after the outing is over.
If you are not sure how to prepare or upload your images, please follow the detailed instructions in these documents:
==> How to prepare your images
==> How to upload your images
-
NEW DATE: MAPS Summer Picnic: Field Day and Composition Workshop
Sat, Sep 26, 2026, 11:00 am-3:00 pm - Blackwell Forest Preserve – East ShelterAll MAPS members are invited to this year's Member Picnic, including a workshop on "Composition and Creativity in the Field" The workshop gets underway at 9AM, prior to the picnic, which begins at 11.
-
Illinois Railway Museum
Sun, Sep 20, 2026, 10:00 am-2:00 pm - 7000 Olson Road, Union, IL 60180Join MAPS for our September Photo Outing to the Illinois Railway Museum (IRM) in Union, Illinois! Covering over 100 acres, IRM is the largest railway museum in the United States and a living, working time capsule of American transit history. Participants should meet at 10:00 am near the East Union Depot (just inside the main entrance gate) to check in with Outings Chair Chuck Diewald. The museum exhibits and trains open at 10:00 am. About the Outing & Photographic Opportunities Whether your passion is wide-angle industrial perspectives, candid motion, historic textures, or macro detail, IRM offers an extraordinary variety of subjects: Admission & Ticket Information One general admission ticket covers…
-
Patterns in Nature
Sep 2026In 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 5, 2026 from 7:15am – 9:45am. “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.
-
Ball Horticulture Gardens
Aug 2026Join MAPS for the August Photo Outing to Ball Horticultural Gardens in West Chicago. The Gardens at Ball Horticultural have been the evaluation and testing grounds for the world’s wealth of horticultural introductions and improvements for over 80 years. What began as a row trial garden for seed varieties in 1933 has grown to encompass over nine acres of display beds for annuals, perennials, cut flowers and vegetables, including the newest plants from the industry’s leading breeders and marketers. See a quick tour of the stunning gardens. Participants should meet at 8:20 am at 622 Town Road in West Chicago, and see Chuck Diewald. Use the parking lot across from the…
-
In keeping with our monthly Photo Outing at the Arboretum, the theme for the month of August will be “Cast a Shadow.”
-
Chicago Botanic Garden
Jul 2026Please join us at the Chicago Botanic Garden Saturday July 25 at 7 a.m. (better light, fewer people) mentored shooting session and feedback opportunity. Park in Lot 1, go through the Visitors Center (bathrooms will be open just inside the doors), keep walking past the Crescent Garden through the Esplanade straight to the brick portico entrance to the Landscape Garden. We’ll start the outing with taking photos in the gardens as desired. Roger will be available to help you solve the problems of depth of field and how to handle the background in the English Wall Garden from 7:15 to 8:15 and the Rose Garden from 8:15 until 9:15. If you want to experiment…
-
“Joy” at The Morton Arboretum
Jul 2026In keeping with our monthly Photo Outing at the Arboretum, the theme for the month of July will be “Joy”
-
Join us for an afternoon of nature, historic architecture, and landscape photography. Fabyan Villa Museum & Japanese Garden offers a stunning variety of settings, providing endless opportunities for macro, architecture, and landscape photographers.
-
In keeping with our monthly Photo Outing at the Arboretum, the theme for the month of June will be “Reflect on Nature” with the group outing on Saturday, June 6, 2026 from 7:00am – 10:00am. “There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are.” – Ernst Haas 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…
-
Lake Katherine Nature Center
May 2026Join us for a morning of nature and wildlife photography. Lake Katherine offers 85 acres of diverse habitats, providing endless opportunities for macro, critter, and landscape photographers. Photography Highlights: Meeting Point: We will gather at 10:00 AM near the Nature Center (7402 W. Lake Katherine Dr.). What to Bring: More Information: For more details about the location, visit: Enjoy Illinois – Lake Katherine We look forward to seeing you there and seeing the world through your lens! Questions – Contact Chuck cdiewald@xmlhq.com 708-320-8339
-
Nancy B and Darcy B invite you to hike with them through various areas of Starved Rock and Matthiessen State Parks.
-
An Evening Under the Stars
May 2026Join us for a unique evening under the stars! For our May outing we are heading to the Marengo Ridge Conservation Area to join the Northwest Suburban Astronomers (NSA) for one of their public viewing nights. This is a fantastic opportunity to observe the night sky through high-powered telescopes and practice some night sky and astrophotography. When: Friday, May 8th, 2026 Time: 8:00 PM – 11:50 PM Where: Marengo Ridge Conservation Area 411 Illinois 23; Marengo, IL, 60152 (map) (about 62 miles, 1 hour from the Morton Arboretum) Weather Permitting: We need clear skies! If it’s cloudy, the event is cancelled. Check your inbox before you leave; I’ll email all registrants if we have to call it off.…
