Local weatherman works on other side of the camera

Mike Caplan shoots plenty of nature photos in his own yard in Wadsworth.

The setting 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.

These are all part of the TV weatherman's love of nature, which extends beyond meteorology to animals, plants and landscapes.

But Caplan, known for his weather casts at 4 p.m. weekdays on ABC Channel 7, also likes to travel so he can photograph animals like elk in Yellowstone.

"We were there expressly to see elk," he said. "At first they were a mile away, and we were happy to get the shots.

"They started to come down the hill. checking us out. There were five or six of us on a street. He decides he wants to cross the street, and looks like he's looking right at me the whole time."

Other pictures visitors notice include a majestic American eagle, bears fishing for salmon, a stunning green heron and a friendly looking fox.

Caplan grew up in Gurnee and earned money for his first camera, a 35 mm Minolta, when he was a student, working summers at Great America.

The birth of his son, Carter, 10 years ago renewed his interest in the hobby, and three or four years ago he really got serious.

"We're nature freaks," said Caplan. "My wife gardens. I don't golf. Photography is a great pastime. It gets me outdoors and connects me with nature."

He has shot pictures in Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New England and national parks in Utah and Arizona.

Now he is selling his photos. One of his first venues is the gift shop at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, which in July will start selling notecards decorated with scenes Caplan captured at the arboretum. The Caplans are also selling Mike's photos on their own Web site, caplanstudios.com.

And yes, these days 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."

While Wadsworth is great for photos, the setting where almost everything planted can easily become part of the deer buffet challenges Laura Caplan, the gardener in the family. One solution is concentrating her plantings in front of the home where she can spray them with repellent.

Garden visitors see Knockout roses, tulips, heuchera and black-eyed Susans. Somehow dahlias, creeping phlox, dappled willows and honeysuckle have escaped the munching.

And she says many friends have told her husband he should seek a larger audience for his photographs.

"This is still mainly a hobby for me, but if there's a small demand for what I'm shooting, why not share them for a small fee?" said Mike Caplan.

"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."