aerial photography

Remember spring?

Mar 18, 2026

Remember when it seemed like winter was over, when most of the snow had gone, when the lake ice was in retreat and even nighttime low temperatures didn’t dip much below freezing? If so, maybe these aerial images captured by local photographers before the weekend blizzard (see related story) will...

Marina slips empty, lots fill with boats stored for the winter

Oct 29, 2025

The Lake City Marina’s annual task of lifting hundreds of boats out of the harbor for storage on- or offsite appears virtually complete in this aerial photo taken by Ben Thrienen. The summer boating season is bookended by the weeks-long process of launching boats in the spring and removing them in...

Fall color nearing its peak

Oct 29, 2025

Steve Brown captured this aerial photograph of the vivid fall colors of the bluffsides south of Lake City. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), most of the state was past its peak as of Oct. 28, but the river valley around Lake City remained at 75-100% of peak. People...

Dawn breaks

Dec 31, 2024

Ben Threinen submitted this photo of the early morning sun piercing through the cloud cover to illuminate Lake Pepin.

Lake Pepin ice is cracking up

Feb 14, 2024

Photographer Ben Threinen captured this aerial photo of the patterns formed by the cracking Lake Pepin ice. Ice conditions from an unusually warm winter caused the Frontenac Sportsman’s Club and Lake City Sportsman’s Club to have their fishing contest fundraisers on dry land. The Army Corps of...

Drone’s-eye panorama of Lake City

Mar 14, 2019

Lake City photographer Ben Threinen stitched four drone photos together to creat this panorama aerial view of Lake City and the Mississippi River.