Lake Views

Take big photos in a small town

- Jeff Wignall

“I THINK the word ‘quaint’ sums it up nicely,” says photographer Tim Gruber in describing the picturesque Minnesota town of Grand Marais. Sitting on the north shore of Lake Superior an hour south of the Canadian border— it’s tiny—with a population of just 1,351 inhabitants. “For me, the biggest thrill is the feeling you get when you make your approach over a little hill and suddenly see below you this charming little town nestled along the shoreline. It’s sweet,” says Gruber, who makes up one half of the Ackerman+Gruber photo team based in Minneapolis. “Budget Travel recently named it ‘America’s Coolest Small Town.’”