Grand Marais True crime for Stern Crime
We’ve photographed Grand Marais many times over the years, but this assignment took us in a completely different direction. In fact, we shot the Budget Travel feature referenced in the story—so most of our trips up here have been lighthearted travel pieces, filled with pretty photos of one of our favorite places in the state.
This time, though, felt more like stepping into the pages of a true crime novel.
And we loved it.
The art director had a clear vision: everything bathed in red, moody light. After some trial and error, we decided to strobe everything on location rather than rely on some funky Photoshop wizardry after the fact. Our motto is always “get it right in camera” (aka spend less time staring at a computer screen).
Working this way did limit our shooting window—blue hour, those 30–45 minutes after sunset or before sunrise, was the sweet spot where the natural ambient light complemented the red strobe perfectly.
All in all, it pushed us creatively and gave us a chance to explore Grand Marais in a way we never had before.
