About The Photographer

My very first job was as “The Amazing Alfredo” at Great America amusement park. I didn’t make much money guessing people’s age and weight, but with the few dollars I earned I cobbled enough savings to buy something I really wanted… a Minolta XG-7 camera. I took it with me to work almost every day to capture photos of my friends and co-workers. My paycheck each week was exhausted from film processing (and maybe a pizza or two)! Soon, I started pointing the lens at landscapes and wildlife as well. The sky became a popular target too, no doubt due to my early love of weather and astronomy. I have eagerly rekindled my teenage outlet for creative expression through photography.

My current affair with the lens began harmlessly enough about thirteen years ago as a vacation shutterbug armed with little more than a high-end point and shoot. I quickly became obsessed with enhancing my critical eye and technical ability, so I set out to take more and better images. I voraciously pored through photography books and magazines marveling at the captures I drooled over, gleaning as many hints and tips as possible. As my skills and my gear improved, my obsession only grew stronger. Luckily, my wife has not only endorsed this passion, she's embraced it. She serves as a human spotting scope, field assistant, and is always my “top model. My son even jokes about this, calling us “Nature Freaks!”

Through Caplan Studios, I strive to share my creative eye through images conveying the life-long passions I have drawn on during my career.

-Mike Caplan-