Mike Wardynski

Teaches at Aperture Academy

Mike Wardynski (Nature Mike) specializes in landscape photography.

Mike was born in Saginaw Michigan in 1984. Growing up in the countryside and taking many family camping trips at a young age, he developed a fondness for nature and a deep respect for the outdoors. His passion for nature eventually grew into wanderlust that sparked a desire to travel at an early age.
As a child, he was curious about photography and would often experiment with his parents Canon AE-1 35mm film SLR. After high school, Mike became very interested in video production. While going to school for broadcasting, his interest in still photography was revived at the same time that the digital revolution was coming of age.

In college, Mike started a multi-media company called DG Studios that specialized in video production as well as portraiture. The business created an arena for him to learn and grow in a real-world environment, but after graduation his desire to travel and see the west got the best of him.

In 2010 Mike moved to Yosemite National Park where he would live and work for the next 3 and a half years. He landed a job with the non-profit Yosemite Conservancy where he worked side by side with the National Park Service in Yosemite Valley. His new job gave him a unique opportunity to explore the Yosemite backcountry while conducting trail reports. Given his background in photography, Mike would lug around an extra ten pounds of camera gear into the wilderness to hone in his skills for fine art landscape photography.

Mike currently resides in Oakland California where he works as a professional photography instructor and tour guide. Yosemite still remains a place of passion and grounding for him, and if you travel there keep an eye out because you may find him amongst the mountains.