Photo: Descending from Ryten, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. February 26, 2016. 08:52

A few days after the full moon came the weather window I was looking for, and so I made plans to camp on the summit of Ryten for the night, with hopes of a sky full of northern lights above the moonlit landscape. I had attempted this same plan in January 2015, however the weather had other plans and we were chased off the mountain, so I was excited for a 2nd chance with promising conditions.

It was eerily calm on the summit and even with the tent haphazardly staked out, it didn’t budge an inch. But even on a calm, clear night, no sign of northern lights appeared. So it looks like I will have to make another attempt next year.

However, it is always important to make the best of any situation, and while I was really hoping for auroras, there was plenty of other nice light to be found during sunset and sunrise at one of Lofoten’s most scenic destinations.

If you are interested in joining me for winter or summer adventures across Lofoten, checkout my TOURS page to see what I have on offer…

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
17mm
ISO 200
f 8
1/500 second
WB Daylight

Photo: Hammarskaftet rises above Reinefjord, Reine, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. February 24, 2015. 14:30

The weather forecast was promising enough to make me think 2 nights camping at Bunes beach would be a good idea. Standing around the pier in Reine, while waiting on the ferry departure to Vindstad, the weather looked like it might have other plans in mind.

Standing on the Pier, the harbor and fjord were almost perfectly still. As the Fjordkyss warmed up her engine, I took a couple last images.  I liked how just the peak of Hammarskafted was clear of the clouds, the rest of the ridge hidden in mist. It makes the peak look like a lone tower, rising above the village.

Camera Info:
Nikon D810
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
24mm
ISO 125
f 10
1/25 seconds
WB Daylight

Photo: Last light over the end of Lofoten, Å, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. February 12, 2015. 15:29

I think I have written many times by now about the cliffs past the village of Å being a good sunset location for a few weeks in winter. If you’ve missed the other times, I’m writing it again. From late January to mid February, the sun sets right around the mountains at the ‘end’ of Lofoten. And with this also being a scenic section of coastline, it is one of my favorite winter sunset locations.

Though I have been here plenty of times before, I did find myself having some compositional challenges on this particular day. The sea was just average, not particularly stormy and not particularly calm. There was also a fresh dusting of snow that I wanted to include in the scene.

After trying several other compositions from higher up on the rocks, which, I would have been happy with were this my first visit, I felt they were missing something. Finally getting closer to the sea, I came upon this view. It was the most dramatic part of the scene, but I think the image has a better balance of the elements, still showing all I wanted to show, but in a much simpler form.

Camera Info:
Nikon D810
Nikon 24mm f/3.5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 31
f 16
13 seconds
WB Daylight
3 images: top,, middle bottom

Photo: Winter camping at Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  March 3, 2014. 18:47

I often get asked if its possible to reach so-and-so location in winter. And I can only really answer, ‘I don’t know.’ Winter on Lofoten can mean anything from hurricane force winds and -20˚C windchill in a hopeless whiteout, Waste deep powered snow, 7˚C and rain, or anything in between.

The start of 2014 saw Lofoten nearly devoid of snow. The calendar said winter, but the islands looked more like May. While the temperatures still remained relatively cold, and one had to be cautious of ice, most lower level hiking locations on the islands were easier than normal to reach.

Taking advantage of these condition, I visited all 3 of Moskenesøy’s best beaches.  I actually would have like a bit more snow and winter look, but it still nice to be out camping in places that I normally only visit in summer or autumn.

On this night, at Horseid beach, I was hoping for some northern lights, but they would not arrive unfortunately.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
17mm
ISO 500
f 5
4 seconds
WB Daylight