Shovel Point

Visiting Minnesota's North Shore to Test the Fujifilm GFX System

By Andy Johnson III

December 5^th, 2024

While planning out our summer adventures earlier this year, I saw a window of opportunity to do some landscape photography. This made me start to think about the gear that I would be using and made me wonder if it was time try a system with a larger sensor for shooting landscape photos. I have considered this off and on but my overall experience with Fujifilm has been so positive that I haven't thought about it much in recent years. I didn't end up getting to any national parks this year but I did pick up some gear and took three systems up to Minnesota's North Shore for testing. The photos shared here are mostly from the Fall trip which offered more color.

Duluth Coffee Company

Every trip to the North Shore starts at the Duluth Coffee Company. The artisan coffee offered at this Superior Street location represents the best start to a day of adventures along the North Shore. During this visit, I found some shadows coming through the window that spelled out the sign from the window onto a table inside. The single origin coffee gave me the time to reflect on what I hoped to capture before I set off to enjoy one of my favorite places.

Along the Way

There were a few places along the way that I just had to stop and take a picture. Many of the viewpoints right along Lakeshore Drive are worth stopping to investigate. The scenes below at Gooseberry Falls and then one further north on the way to Palisade Head, both caught my eye. What a beautiful part of the world!

Split Rock Lighthouse

I once visited Split Rock Lighthouse during fall colors, around 2003, and wanted to see how it would look this time around. I remember seeing a lot of yellow last time and capturing some nice shots of the scene. This time around, the colors were not that vibrant but the Split Rock view never disappoints. I hiked further up the beach than I have before this time, and enjoyed the view of Ellingsen Island as well as the way it frames the lighthouse scene from a distance.

Palisade Head

I visited Palisade Head while in the area last spring and noticed a viewpoint over Shovel Point that I really liked. Returning to the same area, I wanted to see if the fall colors and timely clouds would add some dimension to the view. The leaves were not as colorful as I expected and I could tell that some had died. There was enough color though to enhance the scene and the late afternoon conditions were wonderful.

Shovel Point

When I reached Tettegouche State Park, it was getting dark quickly so I hurried along the trail to Shovel Point looking for viewpoints. I noticed a sign that I had missed last time I visited the area pointing to a beach area off the trail. Previously, I had hiked out onto Shovel Point so that I didn't get much of.a view of this fascinating rock face. Along the way, I encountered a scene looking south back to Palisade Head. When I reached the beach a short walk off the trail, I found the best view of Shovel Point that I could imagine. Standing right across from the point with rocks, water and the waning evening light provided fascinating conditions to photograph.

Conclusion

As darkness engulfed the scene, I relied heavily on the tripod and long exposures to capture these last shots. By the time I finished shooting, it was so dark that I could barely walk across the rocks and find my camera bag I had set down. I laughed at myself for being so unprepared with my iPhone flashlight, trying desperately not to fall and crush my gear on the rocks.

Speaking of gear, I concluded by the end of this day that I like having the flexibility of more lenses that the Fujifilm X series makes much more affordable. When the lenses you have are right for the situation, however, it's undeniable that the medium format GFX is amazing for shooting landscapes. The way that it resolves details is unparalleled in my experience. I love shooting with the X series but the GFX is the way I want to go once I start shooting more landscapes again. My day trips to Shovel Point helped demonstrate what makes medium format so special and I'm a believer.