Friday Photo #110 – Horseid Beach

Horseid beach, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  September 15, 2014.  14:19

The mountain view over Horseid beach has been a long sought after image for me.  And no doubt because this view is the hardest to reach of the three main beaches of Moskenesøy (Bunes, Horseid, and Kvalvika).

Having spent the morning on another peak, I almost forgot that in the shorter days of September that I could wait too far after noon to get to the view point, otherwise the beach would be in shadow.  Luckily, I made it to this view with a bit of time to spare.  By the time I reached the summit of Branntuva, about an hour later, the entire beach was cast in shadow for the remainder of the day.

I made note of a few possible camping places close to this view point, so hopefully I can return with a bit more interesting light one of these days…

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
24mm
ISO 100
f 11
1/200 second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #108 – Mountains of Moskenesoy

Lofoten Mountain landscape

Photo: View over Moskenesøy from Branntuva, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  Septermber 15, 2014.  15:10

Branntuva is lonely and rarely hiked mountain deep in the heart of Moskenesøy, with most of the upper part of the mountain trail-less.

After hiking Markan the previous day, Branntuva seemed like the next best target from my base camp at Fageråskaret pass. And unlike the day before, there was hardly a cloud in the sky this day, only a low fog approaching from the sea creating a light mist in the lower valleys.

Fromt the summit, there are fantastic view in nearly every direction, especially the overlook of Horseid beach.  But of all the choices, I found this scene of all these steep ridges leading towards the high peak of Hermannsdalstind to be one of the best.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 85mm f/2.8 tilt-shift
85mm
ISO 100
f 9.5
1/400 second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #107 – Branntuva Sunset

Sunset over Branntuva, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Sunset over Branntuva from the summit of Markan, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  September 14, 2014.  19:24

Following up on last weeks image, here is another view from the summit of Markan.  The mountain to the left of the image is Branntuva, which was actually the original goal for this afternoon, until I figured I would not have enough time to get to the summit, so I made the wise decision to turn for Markan instead. – I hiked up Branntuva the following day.

For me, this part of Moskenesøy is one of the most scenic and wild parts of Lofoten.  And each time I reach the summit of one mountain, I’m looking at the dozen other peaks surrounding me and imagining what the views from they are like…

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
19mm
ISO 200
f 8
1/30 second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #106 – Markan Sunset

Markan, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Autumn mountain light from the summit of Markan (600m), Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  September 14, 2014.  18:54

Waiting for sunset from the summit of Markan was one of the more memorable moments of my autumn travels on Lofoten.

It was one of those days that either turns out really bad or completely rewarding.  Luckily I had the reward this time, which is better than can be said for the last time I passed by Marken, hiking as fast as I could to keep ahead of an approaching storm.

On this afternoon it seemed as if rain would begin to fall at any moment, yet it never did.  All that happened was that the light got better and better until the sun was finally low on the horizon and the colors began to fade.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
14mm
ISO 200
f 9
1/160 second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #105 – Sailboat Mooring at Helle

Sailboat Anchorage in Buvågen Bay at Helle, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Sailboat anchorage in summer twilight at Buvågen bay at Helle on the westernmost tip of Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  August 31, 2014.  21:48

Helle it the westernmost tip of Moskenesøy (and more of less Lofoten itself).  I’ve been wanting to get here for a few years and have tried to research any hiking routes, which would likely take several days over the steep mountains.  So when I learned visiting the location would probably be part of the summer sailing trip with Vertical Shot Expeditions I was a part of, I was quite excited.

We were racing an incoming storm to get here before bad weather arrived – the sea outside the bay is some of the roughest waters in Norway, with strong and turbulent currents.  The weather cooperated and we arrived on a brilliantly calm afternoon, with enough time to get out the following morning.

As evening came, we built a campfire on the shore and cooked up a big meal.  With the sky getting dark, I walked up a small hill to get one last view over the scene.  A little while later, northern lights were filling the sky as we rode the dinghy back to the boat.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
14mm
ISO 640
f 6.3
1/6 second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #102 – Markan Mountain Light

Markan, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Autumn light over Kråkhammartind from the summit of Markan, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  September 14, 2014.  18:35

It was already late afternoon by the time I reached my planned mountain camp at Fageråskaret pass, deep into the mountains of Moskenesøy.  I had passed this way the previous year – while running from a quickly approaching storm – and figured it would be a good base camp to explore a few of the nearby mountains.

Initially, I thought of heading up Branntuva, but after a few minutes heading cross-country towards the summit – there is no trail – it was evident that it would take more time than there was light left in the day.  And so I returned to the pass and began heading up the ridge towards Markan.

The weather hadn’t quite cleared as much as the forecast predicted, and I was worried that I would get rained out.  But as I ascended higher and higher, I noticed a bit of sunlight beginning to break through the clouds.

Reaching the summit, the light was fantastic.  One of those perfect combinations of stormy mountain light, but still mild enough where you can take photos!  I rarely have mountain days like this, and I don’t think I could have chosen a better peak than Markan on this day.  It was fantastic to watch the light travel across the near vertical peak of Kråkhammartind.

You can checkout the hiking guide for Markan – HERE

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-240mm f/2.8
14mm
ISO 200
f 11
1/60 second
WB Daylight
3 image pano

Friday Photo #101 – Tent And Auroras

Lofoten Islands Northern Lights

Photo: Northern Lights over Tent, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  September 22, 2014.  22:44

The journey to Munkebu hut is now a fairly familiar one for me, but the goal of this particular journey into the mountain of Moskenesøy was targeted at the peak of Munken.  With forecasts for clear skies, I figured it would be good to get another night in the mountains, in hopes of photographing some northern lights.

I have spent a good many nights in the mountains of Lofoten, but for some reason, they sky often remains quiet for me.  Not on this night though!

With the lengthening nights of Autumn, it’s not very practical to sit outside and wait for Northern Lights to possibly show up, not to mention the sub zero temperatures.  So I set my alarm to ring every 15-20 minutes so I can look out of the tent to see if the sky is doing anything.  On this night I didn’t have to wait long until I noticed a bright streak of green beginning to appear in the sky.

I first went off to setup my little Fuji XT-1 to shoot a time-lapse before returning to the tent to grab my main camera (Nikon D800) to see what else I could come up with.  The tent seemed like it would be nice, so here it is…

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
16mm
ISO 1250
f 3.2
20 seconds
WB Daylight

New Lofoten Hiking Guide – Munken

Hiking Munken Lofoten Islands Norway

Photo: Panoramic view from the summit of Munken, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  September 2014

The 2nd new mountain hiking page from my September Lofoten trip is now online and ready to be seen:

MUNKEN – Mountain Hiking Guide

Munken is a moderately high mountain on Moskenesøy, just beyond (or, above) the Munkebu mountain hut.  It is a nice hike with some pretty epic views at the top – though this is pretty standard for Lofoten!  It’s also a nice mountain to hike in combination with an overnight at the hut, or just camp nearby.

——–

I still have a few more hiking pages to add, but I’m sort of struggling to find the time at the moment and a heavier than expected work schedule in California.  And with less than 2 months until I’m back on the islands in January to co-guide a photo tour for Muench Workshops (sold out, sorry guys…), it’s going to be a tight squeeze to get everything done.  But I’ll do my best!

As always, if you want to keep more up do date with things, it’s worth checking out my Facebook page where I tend to post more photos and behind the scenes stuff that will never make it here (not entirely of Lofoten, however)…

Friday Photo #96 – Reine In Autumn

View of small fishing village of Reine on sunny autumn day, Moskenesoy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Reine in autumn, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  Sept 25, 2013.  12:49

The view of Reine and Olstind is perhaps the most photographed location on Lofoten.  At anytime of year, it has the possibilities to provide fantastic light and produce one of Norway’s most iconic images.

On this afternoon in autumn I was simply walking by on my way to Reinebringen and though to myself, ‘ hey, blue sky!’  And so I pulled out my camera for a few images.  Though I do have to say I like this image in autumn, as the addition of color in the landscape helps give a little more depth to the image.  Though seeing as how I took this image almost at high noon, it’s not going to be the most memorable shot of this location, more of a ‘wow, this was a nice day’ moment, before I reached the summit of Reinebringen for some even better views.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
32mm
ISO 200
f 10
1/640 second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #89 – Kjerkfjord Sunset

Sunset behind rugged mountain peaks and Kjerkfjord from Reinebringen peak, Reine, Lofoten islands, Norway

Photo: Setting sun behind Kjerkfjord from the summit of Reinebringen, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  July 25, 2010.  11:13

For my first hike up Reinebringen I decided to to the most obvious thing one getting to the top; spend the night on the summit.  Well, It can hardly be considered night in late July, but the sun still sets for a couple hours at this point in the year.

Having spent the previous two nights at Bunes beach, at night on Reinebringen wasn’t really in the plan.  But as my friend Søren and I walked off the ferry back in Reine, looking at the clear blue sky and mountains all around, the choice was made for us.

Unfortunately I hadn’t decided to gather any more water while at Bunes, so I had to buy an overprice 0.5 liter bottle from the StatOil station in Reine.  By the time I reached the summit or Reinebringen this had turned into 0.2 litters, with about 18 hours remaining on the mountain.

It perhaps the most absolutely perfect day of the whole summer.  Blue sky, warm temperatures and no wind.  I setup my tent on the summit, not to protect me from the weather, but as the only place to escape from the sun.  The hours passed by and hikers came and went.  Finally as evening began to arrive, we found ourselves alone on the summit.

As evening passed the sun grew low on the horizon.  Sometimes concealed behind peaks before shining for a few more moments, the descent into the sea was underway.  A cloudless sky stood overhead as we sat up there alone, waiting for the end of a Lofoten summer day to slowly arrive.

We camped out in the open, no fear of rain this night.  Several times I tried to go to sleep, only to crawl out of my sleeping bag to take a few more photos; finally giving up on getting properly dressed and just standing there, bare footed and in my underwear.  A night I will always remember.

Camera Info:
Nikon D700
Nikon 85mm f/2.8 tilt-shift
85mm
ISO 200
f 16
1/60 second
WB Daylight
3 images – left, center, right