Minnesota punches above its weight in nature photography. Ten thousand lakes, boreal bogs up north, tallgrass prairie in the south, and the Lake Superior shoreline add up to a state that produces photographers who can really see. This is a working photographer’s roundup of the Minnesota wildlife photographers and nature shooters whose work I keep coming back to — and where you can find it.
Consider the order loose and personal, not gospel. These are all people worth knowing.
1. Jim Brandenburg (1945–2025)
No list of Minnesota nature photography is complete without Jim Brandenburg, who passed away in 2025 at age 79. Based near Ely, he shot for National Geographic for more than 30 years and received the magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023 — and four of his images were once counted among the 40 most important nature photographs of all time. His Northwoods work, and the Brandenburg Prairie Foundation he built with his wife Judy, leave a legacy the rest of us still measure against. See his work: jimbrandenburg.blogspot.com Instagram: @jimbrandenburg.
2. Stan Tekiela
Odds are you already own a Stan Tekiela book. The Minnesota naturalist has written and photographed hundreds of field guides to birds, mammals, and wildflowers, and his clear, approachable images have introduced more people to backyard wildlife than almost anyone. He also leads wildlife photography tours each summer. See his work: naturesmart.com Instagram: @stan_tekiela.
3. Craig Blacklock
Craig Blacklock is Minnesota’s fine-art nature photographer, best known for his intimate, meticulous studies of Lake Superior and the Boundary Waters. His books — including The Lake Superior Images — and his gallery work have shaped how many of us see the North. See his work: blacklockgallery.com Instagram: @craigblacklock.
4. Bill Frische
I focus on Minnesota’s wildlife and birds — the great gray owls of Sax-Zim Bog, wintering golden eagles in the bluff country, and the barred owls tucked into city parks like Theodore Wirth. My favorite work happens at the edges of the day, in the cold, waiting on a bird to do something honest. I also run one-on-one field sessions for photographers who want to find and photograph Minnesota’s owls and raptors. See the galleries: billfrische.com Instagram: @bill_frische.
5. Bryan Hansel
Based in Grand Marais, Bryan Hansel is one of the North Shore’s finest landscape and nature photographers and a generous teacher. His workshops along Lake Superior and in the Boundary Waters have a national following, and his eye for the region’s moody light is hard to beat. See his work: bryanhansel.com Instagram: @bryanhansel.
6. Sparky Stensaas
Naturalist, author, and photographer Sparky Stensaas is a fixture of Minnesota’s North Woods and the founder of the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog. His photography and writing celebrate the small and overlooked — owls, boreal birds, insects, bog life — with real field knowledge behind every frame. See his work: thephotonaturalist.com Instagram: @photonaturalist.
7. Dominique Braud
Dominique Braud photographs Minnesota’s wildlife and landscapes year-round, with a special love for winter — frosted mornings, snow-country mammals, and birds toughing out the cold. His widely published images are a masterclass in patience under hard conditions. See his work: dominiquebraud.com Instagram: @dombraud.
That’s a starting point, not the whole map — Minnesota’s nature and wildlife photography community runs deep. Follow these folks, buy a print, take a workshop, and you’ll start to see the state the way a camera does: patient, seasonal, and full of small wonders.
Want to learn to find and photograph Minnesota’s owls and raptors yourself? Take a look at my Minnesota gallery and get in touch about one-on-one field sessions.
