In early summer, 2017, I was asked by National Parks Magazineand Tandemstock.com if I was interested in photographing a feature story about Voyageurs National Park for an upcoming issue. The answer was a resolute “Yes!”
To say that I’d been dreaming about shooting a feature story for a magazine for a long time is an understatement. As a boy, I’d thumbed through issues of National Geographic, looking at the colorful expanses of jungles, deserts, and cultures, imagining myself behind the lens, looking through the viewfinder as sweat formed on my brow and mosquitoes buzzed in clouds around me. I loved the idea of going out into the unknown, the far away, and bringing back stories and images. That this assignment in Voyageurs was in my own backyard, and dealing with a subject of which I was well experienced (canoeing and northern Minnesota lakes) was a treat, and the thought thrilled me.
After several email strings and calls with Tandem and the NPCA, Lacey and I packed up a trove of gear and headed north. Strapped to the roof of the Subaru Forester was a bright red tandem wood canvas canoe, on loan from Frost River in Duluth, MN. As we drove north, and Highway 53 gradually narrowed and slowed, Lacey read aloud our scavenger hunt of a shot list. This was of course review, as we’d spent hours poring over the list when planning our route, equipment, and timeline. Still, my pulse bounded at the idea of finding all the scenes, people, and places on that list, of seeing the contours, islands, and narrows I’d imagined from the National Geographic Adventure Map.
It was a whirlwind few days, paddling big lakes in the small boat, while motorboats buzzed by, and houseboats trundled on, seemingly unaware of what became intense winds. We met rangers, business owners, and visitors, paddled through huge, wind-whipped waves, and on glassy waters that stretched for miles. It seemed we might be the only canoeists in the park, until we crossed paths with a group in a sunlit rainstorm on our way back to the Ash River Visitor Center. We waved through the sparkling, heavy drops, and then watched them paddle through intense double rainbows.
It was short, but it was an intense trip, and at the end, we were exhausted. With memory cards full of photos, and the shot list checked over, we packed our gear and strapped the canoe to the roof. It was time to head home.
The resulting photos, and Nicolaus Bruillard’s story can be found on the National Parks Magazine website here. I was honored to work with the fantastic team at National Parks Conservation Association, and Tandemstock.com, and I look forward to showcasing more beautiful places for them in the future.
If you’re interested in visiting Voyageurs National Park, I’d suggest the National Geographic Adventure Map of the park. It’s very helpful, and at a scale that is quite legible, in addition to being durable and waterproof. Purchases made using links to the map on this page don’t cost the reader any extra, but do help support this site.