Last Glance

Focus on Maple Grove: Winter Trail. Wintry scene catches photographer’s eye. Read more about Focus on Maple Grove: Winter Trail

Focus on Maple Grove: Library Sunrise. Local captures the city’s natural glow. Read more about Focus on Maple Grove: Maple Grove Library Sunrise

For Chris Spah, daily work turned into a hobby. As a graphic designer, he is always using photos for the websites he creates. “I always need more photos than what is given to me, so I started [photography] in my free time and it turned into another type of art,” Spah says. He likes snapping pictures of what is around him every day, though he prefers nature settings to other photographic subjects, because he also has a passion for watercolor art, and he finds inspiration in the outdoors. Read more about Photographer Chris Spah Finds Inspiration in Nature

“I always look for things,” Samantha Eyre explains of her photographic eye. “I don’t always have my camera, but I like to look for things everywhere I go.”

Born and raised in Maple Grove, Eyre has always been interested in photography, capturing varied subject matter including senior photos, 3-year-olds and nature photos. She studied graphic design and has carried her passion far beyond the classroom.

Eyre knew she wanted to strive for the City Landmarks category in this year’s photo contest, so she kept an extra eye out for opportunities. Read more about Samantha Eyre Photographs Wind Turbine at Dusk

While Mark A. Schaffer has used both film and digital photography techniques, he prefers the latter. For this photo, Schaffer was able to use his Nikon D90—an “old model by today’s standards,” he says—along with a 50 millimeter lens with exposure for highlights. This causes the lights in a photograph to be vibrant and, in turn, causes shadows to look nearly black. Read more about Mark Schaffer Captures Colorful Fountain Lights at Maple Grove Central Park

Lisa Willey of Maple Grove got a little more than she bargained for when snapping some photos of her daughter playing in their backyard. She happened to capture some amphibious wildlife as well. “While looking through my photos, I saw that the tree frog had his hand up and appeared to be waving at me,” Willey says. “Have you ever seen a frog wave?” Read more about Candid Photo By Lisa Willey Shows Maple Grove’s Hidden Gems