1,518 Shots and Counting: Local Businessman Documents Daily Life in Eagan

It's not hard to spot Leif Hagen. Most likely, he's behind his camera, a trusty Nikon D5000.

Hagen is many things—an identical twin, a financial planner, and a Rotarian—but he has made a name for himself as a local documentarian with his photo tribute to the city, Eagan Daily Photo Blog. The photo blog is one of his passions, no doubt, but it requires persistence. He has faithfully kept up with the blog—365 days a year—for almost four years. So far, he hasn't missed a single day since the blog began, even in the midst of a month-long vacation to Norway and Sweden.

Hagen started playing around with photography in high school, in his hometown of Steven's Point, WI. He was drawn to Minnesota for college, starting at Gustavus Adolphus College before transferring to St. Olaf in his sophomore year. He majored in French and German, then took off for parts unknown after graduation. First he taught foreign languages in Switzerland, in an international school, then he worked in Japan for two years as a part of the JET program.

After returning to the U.S. in 1992, he began a career in financial services and insurance, his father's line of business.

"Our dad was with Lutheran Brotherhood for 30 years, so I grew up with that and an understanding of what it means to be your own boss, and the positives of that," Hagen said. "It's nice to be my own boss."

He started Hagen Financial Network in 2002. That same year he and his family moved to Eagan from St. Paul. His new home quickly became his favorite photographic subject, thanks in part to the city's many lakes and natural areas.

"(Eagan) was a happy medium. It has great schools and great parks," Hagen said.

Hagen founded his photo blog in 2009. Since then he's photographed at least one scene a day in the city—reindeer at Holz Farm, the city's few remaining farmhouses, a witness to the bombings at this year's Boston Marathon and even the last GOP contender for the White House. On that memorable occasion, Hagen plucked up his courage and crashed an official appearance by Mitt Romney—using a media pass created by his assistant at Hagen Financial. 

"I put that on and I marched up to the table and I said 'I'm with the Eagan Daily Photo Blog.' I got right in the front row." Hagen recalled. "He was right there."

He has also become the house photographer for Eagan's July 4th Funfest, which he shot last year. In 2013, he will go one better: Hagen is both a sponsor of the Funfest and the event's go-to shutterbug—complete with an official media pass and all-access to the event.

Editor's Note:  This is one of a series of articles about the people of Eagan's July 4th Funfest. Stay tuned for more coverage in the weeks leading up to the event itself, which will take place on July 3 and July 4.