Loons of Minnesota – A Photo Essay Interview
by Chuck Dayton
“Taking photos enables me to follow the advice of poet Mary Oliver: Pay attention; Be astonished; Tell about it.”
“Sara and I are privileged to spend summers on a small lake on the edge of Boundary WatersWilderness in the north woods of Minnesota, where I photograph loons, otters, sunsets, the Aurora and anything else that catches my eye.”
“They are incredibly beautiful creatures that spend summers in the north, winters in the Gulf, says Dayton. “Also they can dive to great depths, catch and eat big fish, and fly 80 mph (although they have to run on the surface a long way before flying). Their calls are a haunting and lyrical wail, and their green black and while plumage and fire red eyes make for great photos.”
“For several years I have followed the growth of loon chicks from tiny fuzzballs to juveniles that, at age 4 months, can fly all the way to the Gulf of Mexico alone.”
Dayton uses a pedal kayak, which enables him to photograph loons, the beautiful water birds thatare the symbol of this lake country. “Photography has, in retirement, become a kind of spiritual practice through which can I connect with the natural beauty that I spent much of my life as a lawyer trying to protect and preserve,” says Dayton
When flowers bloom and when leaves turn, he and Sara are in Waynesville in the Smokey Mountains photographing an abundance of wildflowers, waterfalls and beautiful vistas. Dayton also has a wall at the Cedar Hills Gallery, and a website. Check it out…
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