I'm a freshman at College of Dupage majoring in photography. I took this photo this summer in Michigan at a beach we stumbled upon. My mother was my hand model and we were playing around with silhouettes. I wanted to included motion, so I asked her to grab sand and let it run between her fingers. I really love how this photograph turned out. Photographs like this is why I wanted to be a photographer the rest of my life.
Sarah Kratz of Warrenville
A leaf from a maple tree is the center of the action in Yosemite National Park, Calif. in October 2016. By using a technique called the zoom blur effect, motion is created.
Mike Stone of Round Lake Beach
A rock climber moves up the face of a mountain in the Coachella Valley in February, within the boundary of Joshua Tree National Park in California.
Lynne Solway of Buffalo Grove
Howler monkeys in Costa Rica.We took a private tour of the National Park and didn't see any monkeys and then when we got back to our hotel/villa and a whole family of 10 were up in the trees right above our room. Crazy cool.
Mary K Granato Dungan of Wheaton
A deer peers from the tall grass near the Millennium Trail in Wauconda in June 2016.
John P. Kelly of Wauconda
Grey Great Basin Rattlesnake crawls around the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, Ariz. last month.
Nancy Giardina of Libertyville
The Anaheim Ducks' goalie Jonathan Bernier stops a scoring chance by the Chicago Blackhawks' Jordan Tootoo during a game at the United Center in Chicago on March 9.
John Wysocki of Mount Prospect
A spider monkey comes to the river edge to get a drink before climbing safely back to the trees at Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica on February 28.
Roy Lobenhofer of Mount Prospect
I took this photo at the March 11 Naperville St. Patrick's Day Parade. I was walking behind Sunrise Rotarian Jim Povejsil when he tossed a bead necklace to a young girl. My goal was to catch the necklace in flight and, if lucky, capture the girl in an appropriate posture. I was pleasantly surprised by the result.
Bruce Dixon of Naperville
This photo was taken off our lanai on Kihei Beach in Maui in January of this year. We've never seen so many beautiful rainbows in our lives! Hawaii is definitely a magical place.
Karla Mursu of Hampshire
I have been observing this eagle nest off W. Bartlett Rd. I'm hoping that there will soon be a couple of chicks to follow.
John Prickett of Hampshire
I was walking along the lake in Burnidge Forest Preserve on February 27th, from the cat tails this duck takes off for the other side of the lake.
Brett Kent of Elgin