All Things Black

On black beaches, black hills, and photos of everything in between

A little riff on Black Friday, a few unexpected photographic detours, and a reminder that even the dark tones have their own kind of beauty.

As I write this, it’s Black Friday—about two hours before the annual Black Friday fireworks over the Grand Marais harbor. Here in town, they like to call today Oh Ole Day, which is a cute name for a celebration that’s really trying to put more heads in hotel beds. After all, you’ve got to get your business into the black this weekend. Heck, I’m even trying, with 30% off my Northern Minnesota 2026 Calendar and my Dreams of Iowa 2026 Calendar when you use the code NORTHERN30. (Get them here: https://www.bryanhansel.com/out/calendar/).

So when I sat down to write this week’s newsletter, all I could think about was black.

Black.

Black.

And black.

I did a quick image search for “black” in my catalog, and the biggest return? The Black Hills.

If that isn’t a little too on-the-nose, there’s Devils Tower—also in the Black Hills—photographed at night in silhouette. Silhouettes are black, after all, though with the high dynamic range of digital cameras they’re not as common as they used to be. The tower’s English name is a mistranslation of Mato Tipila in Lakota, or Bear Lodge, which means even the name has a bit of darkness to it. And, of course, a bear, furry black, uses its lodge in the darkest months of winter.

Then up popped Black Beach, the one made of mining waste dumped into Lake Superior at Silver Bay. If the courts hadn’t stepped in, we’d probably still be seeing that waste slide into the big lake. That waste turned into a beach that’s black and photogenic.

The opening photo comes from Black Beach, but favorite photo from there is of the Upside Down Cedar—partly because it shows the black beach with waves washing up it, and partly because it feels like some kind of black art to grow a tree upside down.

And then there’s black and white photography. My favorite black-and-white image comes from a lake in a currently roadless area near the Boundary Waters. The current administration is likely going to end that roadless protection and open the area to new roads, logging, and development. That feels dark—like watching something good fade to…

Black.

We could double or triple down on black and white, the Black Hills, and Devils Tower.

But black could also be a train under the black of night.

Or maybe a loon…

And am I the only one who thinks things get a little loony on Black Friday? This year, Black Friday seems to have turned into Black October, Black November, and will probably keep going through Cyber Monday, Black December, and then resume again after Christmas. You have to wonder if the deals are really deals. The camera I’ve been eyeing dropped back to its pre-tariff sale price after rising by $200 post-tariff. If they can drop it that far today, why not before? It all feels a little black to me.

Black.

Black.

Black.

Anyway, from the darkness of Black Friday, here are some fireworks to light things up. Happy Oh Ole Day, everyone!

Until next time

I hope you enjoyed this exploration of black. I’ll see you again in two weeks.

Meanwhile, buy my calendars because it’s Black Friday and they are on sale until December 2. And I had a cancellation on my Badlands and Black Hills Photo Workshop, so there’s one spot open if you’ve been thinking about joining me there.