Mike Grandmaison

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Mike Grandmaison (born April 25, 1954) is a Canadian freelance photographer who specializes in nature—landscapes, plants and wildlife—and focuses much of his work on Canada. He also does commercial photography in architecture, agriculture, the environment, travel and Canadian tourism. His stock photos are licensed through his own website and North American agencies, while fine art prints are sold mainly online through The Canadian Gallery on his site.

Early life and education
Mike was born in Sudbury, Ontario, to Jean-Marie and Thérèse (Emery) Grandmaison. He studied biology and earned an Honours Bachelor of Science from Laurentian University (1972–1976). During summers he held various jobs, including running the Canadian Camera Center in Sturgeon Falls for a short period. After graduation, he did herbarium work and water quality projects, then moved to Edmonton in 1978 in search of full-time work.

Career before photography
In Edmonton, he worked as a Research Technician in Air Pollution Biology (1979–1980) and as a Water Quality Technician (1980). He later joined the Canadian Forest Service as an Insect & Disease Technician at the Northern Forestry Centre (1980–1985) and then in Winnipeg (1985–1996). He left the civil service in April 1996 to become a full-time photographer.

Photography beginnings and influences
Mike’s first “real picture” came in grade 11 with his mother’s Kodak. His interest grew when he bought his first 35mm camera, a Nikkormat EL, and he began focusing on photographing plants and their environments. He joined the Sturgeon Falls Camera Club and later the Images Alberta Camera Club in Edmonton, taking on leadership roles in the latter. Through the National Association for Photographic Arts (now the Canadian Association for Photographic Arts), he met renowned photographers such as Freeman Patterson and Ernst Haas, who influenced his work. He also respects Brett Weston, Minor White and Harry Callahan for their black-and-white photography.

Photography career
Mike has worked on commercial assignments and built a large stock collection that he licenses mainly through his own marketing. His images have appeared in advertising, books, calendars, magazines and on the web. Magazines that have published his work include Audubon, Canadian Geographic, Canadian Wildlife, Geo, Maclean’s, National Geographic Traveler, Time Canada and many others. In 2000, he photographed Sudbury for Canadian Geographic to illustrate a reclamation project. He also contributed a long-running feature, Discovering Canada, to Outdoor Photography magazine from 2007 to 2018.

Architecture and agriculture
Architecture has long interested Mike; he photographed projects in Winnipeg and across Canada for major firms, including Smith Carter Architects and Engineers and LM Architectural Group. Notable subjects include the Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health, the MTS Centre, Cancer Care Manitoba, the St. Boniface Cathedral and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. His background in biology led him to photograph Canada’s prairie agriculture for many large companies and organizations.

Books and publishing
Mike has published several books showcasing Canadian landscapes and places. His 2000 book Canada, with text by CBC broadcaster Shelagh Rogers, became a national bestseller and has multiple editions (including a French edition in 2018). Other titles include The Canadian Rockies (2007), Georgian Bay (2008) and Muskoka (2010). After Key Porter Books closed, Turnstone Press published Prairie and Beyond (2012) and Mike Grandmaison’s Ontario (2015). Firefly Books released Beautiful Alberta (2015). Vidacom Publications published titles such as The Polar Bear—Lord of The Great North (2019), Saint-Leon (2017), Manitoba: Land of the Unexpected (2016), La Cathédrale de Saint-Boniface (2014) and Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes (2014), along with new editions of Canada and its French edition Le Canada (2018). In 2017 he teamed with Robert L. Peters to produce Natural Reflections (Rocky Mountain Books).

Fine art, stamps and teaching
Mike’s nature images are sold as fine art prints, for corporate decor and gifts. His work has appeared on seven Canada Post stamps, including the Double Rainbow stamp (Weather Wonders, 2015) and other issues over the years. He also gives seminars, lectures and photography workshops across Canada.

Online presence
His fine art photographs can be viewed online at The Canadian Gallery on his website, grandmaisonphotography.com, where you can also license images or purchase prints. He has exhibited his work in solo and group shows across the country.