Keefography, Duluth, MN (2026)

02/23/2024

It’s well past due for me to share these wonderful student-made haikus based on my images. This collaboration has become an annual occurrence now for the 3rd year in a row. Students at Greenway High School created these poems inspired by my landscape photography. I love sharing my work to help inspire others to get outside and appreciate the natural beauty around us.

Sometimes though it is I who needs inspiration. It’s been too long since I’ve picked up the camera. Admittedly I’ve had a hard time these past few months with mental health struggles, heartbreak, having to put down my dog, and deaths to people around me. Most notably was the recent sudden passing of a co-worker & peer in the outdoor community. She was so young- not much older than the students who wrote these haikus, and had so much to look forward to in life.

Though I have my own issues I’ve been dealing with, I also acknowledge that everyone has something they’re going through and we all handle things differently. If you are struggling with something hard I encourage you to seek help. Also a good reminder to reach out to your friends & family to see how they’re doing. Take care of yourselves and those around you.

Much love ❤️

Haikus in order of appearance:

Incandescent touch
Guide me with your passion please
Just don’t be afraid
-Austin

Standing in the snow
Colors dancing in your eyes
Takes my breath away
-Nox (sorry Nox for writing the incorrect name in the photo itself)

The heart of the woods
Holds purity of nature
Never to be touched
-Samuel

Yellow bead of light
Brilliantly tames the darkness
Timely as always
-Athena

The last light is crisp
Ice is starting to take over
The sky painted purple
-Jocelyn

Slowly rising sun
Revealing the broken ice
Orange light spread throughout
-Kolin

Waves crashing on rocks
A cold white mist fills the air
As a grey sky lingers
-Louis

The untouched terrain
Not a move or noise around
Nature’s pure beauty
-Layn

Mystical galaxy
So compelling to us all
I feel serenity
-Kaelana

As calm as could be
A stillness like no other
Reflecting in kind
-Jacob

10/02/2023

My 2024 Calendar is now available for purchase! This 2024 Northern Minnesota Landscape Photography Calendar features some of John’s favorite memories & images from the North Shore of Lake Superior, The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and the Superior Hiking Trail. This calendar makes for a great gift for friends & family as a daily reminder to be inspired to get outside!

Thank you for your continued support! It is greatly appreciated and helps me create this content by assisting with travel costs, permits, gear acquisitions, and time commitments needed to get outside and continue sharing these adventures with you all.

Calendars will be available in person at the Duluth Gear Exchange or can purchase online through the link below:

https://www.lulu.com/shop/john-keefover/keefography-2024-minnesota-landscape-photography-calendar-by-john-keefover/paperback/product-m2dq448.html?q=keefography&page=1&pageSize=4

08/31/2023

Into the woods. Excited to get back out to Isle Royale National Park over Labor Day Weekend! Bringing the big telephoto lens in case we come across any moose out there. Camera gear is over half of my pack weight for this backpacking trip!

📷: A winding boardwalk through the Gooseberry Gap section on the Superior Hiking Trail

08/17/2023

Hazy sunset from Mt. Trudee in Tettegouche State Park. ☀️

This was taken during a recent solo overnight backpacking trip on the Superior Hiking Trail. When I Thru-Hiked the whole 310 mile trail last year this spot was completely fogged up. I’ve wanted to return here since then, especially for a fire sunset. That’s literally what I got! When I arrived haze from the Canadian wildfires to the North blew in and created an interesting atmosphere. Warm tones highlighted the waters of Palisade Creek winding through the valley below as well as Micmac Lake off to the right, and Tettegouche Lake in the background.

After the sun dipped below the horizon line I donned my headlamp and hiked 1.5 miles back to camp. Hope you enjoy this photo and appreciate the effort and determination it took to create it. Now I’ll have to return again in the fall!

This image and many more are available in my print shop here:
https://keefography.shootproof.com/gallery/prints/home

07/21/2023

Here’s the link to my Trip Report & photos from a recent 7 day backpacking trip at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Trail.

The trail is 42 miles long following sandy beaches, dramatic cliffs & unique sandstone rock formations along Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It’s operated by the National Park Service and also shares the same path as the 4,800 mile long North Country Trail. Navigation is pretty straightforward but still recommend a paper map. FarOut App also recently added the whole NCT to their maps which I would highly suggest downloading before you head out.

After getting dropped off at Grand Sable Dunes by a shuttle service we walked the 42 miles back to our car at the Munising Falls Visitors Center. We took our sweet time hiking the trail in 7 days which averages out to just 6 miles a day. This allowed us to really enjoy ourselves and explore as much as we wanted. You can read all about our trip and see way more photos in the link below. Many of these photos have been added to my print shop as well.

Hope this inspires you to go check it out for yourself! If you do always be sure to follow Leave No Trace principles.

www.keefography.com/blog/backpacking-pictured-rocks-national-lakeshore-trail

07/07/2023

Hello everyone. Someone has started a fake "Keefography" facebook account on here using my images. Please be very careful not interacting with any of the links the page posts. If you would also report the page that would be great to help get facebook to take it down. I have blocked the page from here already as they were commenting on my old posts. The profile picture of the fake page is an older one of me and the page doesn't have any followers.

Sorry for any confusion. Another reason why social media is a mess and I'd rather be in the woods! Working on photos from the most recent trip but hope to have them out sometime soon! Have a good weekend.

07/03/2023

😃 I’ve always said nature is my therapy. This past week I brought my partner out for a 7 day backpacking trip along Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Trail. She pointed out how much more relaxed and happy I am in the woods(well… most of the time). This photo confirms it. In my happy place.

📷 So many photos & stories to come from this adventure in a trip report blog eventually.

🎒That Chicken Tramper Ultralight Gear Camera Bag has been essential for my more minimal backpacking photography trips. It attaches to my chest with some buckles on the shoulder straps of my backpack and when I get to camp I can and use it as a little daypack. Best part is they customized the bag to my cameras dimensions. Plus it’s made right here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan!

Also shout out Jolly Gear for the funnest dang sun hoodies. 🍂

05/29/2023

Citizen Soldier at the Fine Line in Minneapolis 🎸

My childhood friend Matt Duffney moved out to Utah and has been killing it as a guitarist in this band. It was great to meet up and shoot this show during their recent tour. If you don’t know Matt you could probably guess he’s the one with the Vikings hat.

The first time I photographed live music was actually his old band back home while they were practicing in the garage with our other friends, and then again when they got up on stage at a High School Homecoming. The same stage that Bob Dylan once performed on in High School. I was shooting film then in the early 2000’s and was developing those photos in the darkroom during photography class. It’s great that we both, and even Bob still, kept up with our passions and get to do what we love. Rock on 🤘🏻

Go check them out on Spotify!

05/16/2023

Full 2023 Duluth Homegrown Music Festival photo recap. I saw & photographed 38 local bands at 18 different venues for this years festival and that was just a sliver of the talent and locations. Homegrown featured 171 bands total at 36 different places around Duluth & Superior! Feel free to share this album or the photos you’re in with photo credit tagged to Keefography.

https://www.keefography.com/blog/2023-duluth-homegrown-music-festival-photo-recap

Here’s the list of bands I photographed in chronological order:

Sunday 4/30
Babie Eyes at Hoops
Cyr and the Cosmonauts at Blacklist
Theindianheadband at Zeitgeist
Woodblind at Carmody's
Pronoya at Pizza Luce

Tuesday 5/2
The Trash Cats at Vikre
Breanne Marie & The Front Porch Sinners at The DECC
AfroGeode & the Gemstones at The DECC
Boss Mama Music at The DECC
Fenestra Funk at The DECC

Wednesday 5/3
Glitteratti at the Kom-On-Inn
The Slamming Doors at the Gopher
Halfsleeper at the Gopher
Port City Limit at Mr. D's
Black River R***e at Mr. D's

Thursday 5/4
the Spin Collective at Earth Rider
EddieDition at The Main Club
Àlamode at The Main Club

Friday 5/5

Robot Rickshaw at Sacred Heart
Owls Club Big Band at Studio 4
Big Science at Zeitgeist
Side String Band at Carmody Irish Pub
L E I F H I N K E L at Legacy
DJ Sox at The Flame
Superior Siren at The Flame
Wilbur at Pizza Luce
NVR TGTHR at Blacklist
Danny Frank & The Smoky Gold at Pizza Luce
Rick McLean at R.T. Quinlan's
Robyn Graves & The Sordid Affairs at Blacklist
Torment MN at The Rex

Saturday 5/6

Teague Alexy Band at Sacred Heart
ILL Fortune at Pizza Luce
Damien at Blacklist
Big Wave Dave and the Ripples at Blacklist
All The Pretty Horses at Pizza Luce
Winzige Hosen at The Rex

05/09/2023

Now entering the Superior National Forest 🌳💚

Captured the night of 4/23/23 in Minnesota.

05/02/2023

The Northern Lights, but due East over Lake Superior from the North Shore of Minnesota.

www.keefography.com

04/29/2023

It was 2:30 AM when I took this shot. I had been out chasing the Northern Lights since around 10 PM, and this was my last stop. As I was taking this photo, and taking it all in, I wished I was staying in that cozy looking cabin out on the point in the distance. They had front row seats to the Aurora over Lake Superior. Plus then I wouldn’t have had to drive two hours back home… Sleepless nights are worth it for moments like this though.

Keefography

02/23/2024

10/02/2023

08/31/2023

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07/21/2023

07/07/2023

07/03/2023

05/29/2023

05/16/2023

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05/02/2023

04/29/2023

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