Greg Moir is a true Duluthian, through and through. Born in Duluth’s Lakeside neighborhood, he has resided here his entire life. And now, in retirement, this talented photographer loves nothing more than spreading the gospel about his beloved hometown.
“I always try to be a good ambassador for Duluth,” he explained. “When my wife and I are traveling, I always pull out my phone to show people photos of Duluth. But more so, I like being an ambassador when I’m here.
“For instance, if I am walking on the Lakewalk, taking photos, and see a couple that look bewildered, I usually ask them where they’re from, and see if they have any questions.
“So, it’s not just about my photography,” he added. “It’s about the story that goes along with Duluth. I want to show people how beautiful Duluth truly is.”
Deep Roots
Greg’s late father, Gilbert Moir, worked for the railroad. And his late mother, Maxine Moir, was primarily a homemaker, and later got a job in the insurance industry. With four older sisters, Moir is the youngest of five.
He attended St. Michael’s School, then Duluth Cathedral, and ultimately graduated from Duluth East. While still in high school, he entered the workforce at a gas station known as Woodland Standard.
Soon after high school graduation, he bought the business, renaming it Greg’s Woodland Standard. “We filled up your gas tank, repaired cars, and even had a small car wash,” he explained.
But the industry was changing, towards a more convenience store-centered model. After Standard Oil didn’t renew his lease, Moir was forced to pivot his career.
Sales and Extracurriculars
Next, Moir began another phase of his career, in sales, which would last until retirement. First, he worked for American Tobacco, as an in-store salesman.
Later, he moved to the Minnesota Lottery. There, he started in sales and marketing and was ultimately promoted to regional manager, a position he held until his 2015 retirement.
While juggling a full-time career, Moir served his community through volunteer work and other civic duties. He was involved in the PTA, later becoming president, for his daughters’ schools.
He was a part of the Woodland neighborhood Merchant’s Association, and helped spearhead their annual sidewalk sales. And, he was deeply involved with his church – St. John’s – where he led several committees and served as church trustee.
Photography
Moir explained how he initially developed an interest in photography. “About 30 years ago, my wife, Lisa, bought me a 35mm Nikon point-and-shoot camera. I liked photography, but wasn’t really good at it.
“Later, when I worked for the lottery, they got us all some point-and-shoot digital cameras, because we had to take some photos on the job. So, all the salespeople had phones with cameras, right in their pockets. First, we had Blackberries, and later, iPhones. I started to get better with practice.
“As time went on, I realized I enjoyed things like composition, the rule of thirds, and the subject of a photo,” he added. “Things really picked up with my photography when I started walking over the last 10 years.”
Lakewalk
Towards the end of his professional career, Moir was noticing some unwelcome changes to his health. “My job required a lot of ‘windshield time’ and a lot of ‘chair time,’” he explained. “As such, my belly had gotten rounder, and my cholesterol numbers were bad.
“After retirement, I made a commitment to myself to walk the Lakewalk for an hour, four times a week. I wanted to be healthy in retirement.” He has proudly kept this promise, and then some.
Over time, he has increased his walks to seven days a week. This competitive former salesman even wears a GPS tracker, to monitor his pace and mileage. Ten years later, he has walked an astonishing 17,000 miles; mostly on Duluth’s Lakewalk.
Today, Moir is in excellent health, and has turned those lab numbers around. And, he has also incorporated photography into those daily walks. His favorite things to shoot include ships, sunrises, and landscapes – all along the Lakewalk.
And rather than actual sunrise proper, Moir prefers to shoot during the “blue hour” before sunrise. “I’m an early riser by nature, and usually leave home by 4:30 am,” he noted. “I drive from my home in Woodland down to the Lakewalk. The Lake changes every day, and the sky changes so often that there’s always something new to shoot.”
Moir’s work caught the attention of Destination Duluth on December 14, 2024, when Managing Director Jerry Thoreson saw Moir’s striking image of a saltie in the early morning “sea smoke.” The next day, Destination Duluth featured his photo of the Wilfred Sykes. The two posts garnered over 175,000 views with over 5,000 clicks of engagement (Likes, Comments, and Shares). Since then, he’s been featured on the DD platforms 70 times and has 1.6 million views of his images on Destination Duluth’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
Equipment and Training
Amazingly, Moir captures all his images on an iPhone 16 Pro. He has a tripod, but typically doesn’t use it; primarily because it’s a hassle to bring along on his daily walks.
And he keeps his editing to a minimum. “I’m pretty much a ‘no edit guy,’” he said with a chuckle. “I’ll do some cropping and use the magic wand in the iPhone camera app, but I don’t change the colors or anything. I want people to see what I’m seeing. The sky – when it’s all lit up – is already pretty beautiful.”
Moir doesn’t sell his images. Rather, he gives them away. “I’m a social media guy,” he explained. I put my images on my Facebook page, which is open and public.” And, he has never been featured in a gallery or had a formal exhibition, but several of his images are on display at his gym – Essentia’s Center for Personal Fitness.
Moir is mostly self-taught, but shares that he has picked up some tips and inspiration from some of the area’s best photographers. “I’m friends with Martha Lind {who also shoots solely with an iPhone}, Adam Bjornberg, and Jill Kreun. They’ve all taught me some things. And, I love watching the work of photographers like David Schauer, Paul Scinocca, and Jane Herrick, for inspiration.”
When prompted, Moir had a few tidbits of advice for budding photographers. “I’d tell them that, for me, the simplicity is what I like. You just need to learn how to compose what you’re looking at in your lens. You don’t want the subject to be dead center.
“For example, I love it when I can capture the gulls in flight in a photo. It gives the eye another place to go.”
Personal
Moir and his wife, Lisa, have been married for 48 years. The couple met while dancing at the Silver Hammer. Lisa is retired from the billing department at Orthopedic Associates.
The couple have two adult daughters – Kristen Smith and Tara Gorder – and three grandchildren. While they don’t have any pets themselves, Moir loves to dog sit for neighbor dogs and “granddogs” alike.
In their spare time, the Moirs love to travel. “We love craft beer, so we like to travel to places where we can enjoy that hobby – like Fort Collins, Colorado; New Glarus, Wisconsin; and South Padre Island, Texas.”
The couple also enjoy visiting with their large group of friends; many of whom Moir has met while walking right here, on the Lakewalk. As someone who is a self-professed empath and an introvert, Moir enjoys deep, one-on-one conversations with friends and family.
Goals
Looking ahead, Moir has several goals – most are shipping-related – that he’d like to accomplish. “I’d like to ride the Aerial Lift Bridge as it goes up, and catch photos of a Laker going in and out. I’d love to go on/inside a big ship, to take photos. And, I’d love to ride on a ship.
“Besides that,” he said with a twinkle in his eye, “I want to surpass 25,000 miles walked on the Lakewalk.”
To view Moir’s photography, please find him here on Facebook.
Destination Duluth’s “Life On Your Lakewalk” (LOYL) Series shares the stories surrounding the Duluth Lakewalk, an 8-mile accessible trail which starts at Bayfront Festival Park and ends at the north end of Duluth city limits at Brighton Beach. For more LOYL stories, go here.
