Fall 2013 MN North Shore series

Hollow Rock

Hollow Rock is located a handful of miles South of Grand Portage, MN on MN North Shore. Hollow Rock Resort is situated in between Hollow Rock Creek and Hollow Rock Road. The rock formation is located right off of the shore from the resort. Cyndie and I stayed in Cabin #5 – Moose; Hollow Rock was right out the cabin’s front door.

Being right on location was certainly nice. All that was needed was to wake up, have some coffee and then set up to shoot. The in-floor heat was a plus; it made the cabin nice and cozy. I was also happy to see the tank-less water heater. It is always good to have hot water. This is what I like to refer to as remote/comfortable. There is no cable TV, cellular service or Internet here. It was quite peaceful. A great place to get lost for a few days.

Here are a few other shots from the cabin and around the immediate area outside the cabin.

At this particular time of year, the sunrise lines up nicely with hole in Hollow Rock. We had a picture-perfect morning for a sunrise. The weather, clouds and color came together quite nicely. Here are four frames from that magnificent sunrise shoot.

I continued to practice my time-lapse photography at this location as well. I had the same issues as before, but I am pleased with the results.

Part One

Part Two

While in Grand Portage, the fog cleared enough on the morning we were to depart long enough, to get a sunrise shoot in. It was early and the mosquito’s relentless in their desire to rid us of our blood. It is not exactly in the forefront of your mind to get up at 4:30 a.m. while on vacation, but some days it is worth it.

We stayed at Grand Portage Casio instead of Hollow Rock Resort because we were only going to be in this location for a day (two-day minimum stays :-\ boo). I get it, though, why mess up a cabin for only one night. I definitely want to get back here and stay the minimum two night or more. We inquired at the front desk if it would be o.k. to go to the resort and shoot the sunrise; it wasn’t an issue. Drive in, park, be quiet and get your shoot on.

Hallow Rock is right out the front door of most of the cabins as are wonderful views of the lake and shoreline. It is a beautiful location to capture a sunrise. I consulted the Photographer’s Ephemeris for details. There would be no sunrise alignment in July, but you can catch the light in the hollow rock. If you are looking for absolute alignment and want to see the sun rise through the hollow rock, sometime between October 13 – 20 is likely your best opportunity. There is some room for variation of position on the shoreline, but I think that would be the most ideal window to work with. Sunrise is at a more reasonable hour (7:15 a.m.) and there would hopefully be less skeeters then too 🙂