Friday Photo #16 – Vik Beach Winter

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Sea and snow meet at Vik Beach, Vik, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway
Photo: Winter tide, Vik Beach, Vestvagøyå, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  Feb. 16, 21013.  17:19

For several days a layer of low clouds had enveloped the islands and concealed the sun.  Flat, gray light was all there was to be found over most of Lofoten.  Finally, as evening arrived I headed out towards Utakleiv, where I planned to spend the night.  I was originally going to stop at Haukland beach while on my way, but there was already a crowd of other photographers there – and for some reason, I’m a bit self-conscious about invading another photographers ‘working space.’  Nothing more annoying than composing a shot and have some dude, or usually a workshop group, as numbers bring boldness, set up a tripod in the middle of your scene.  But I digress, a rant for another day perhaps…

So I instead headed towards Vik beach, which sat empty.  I had good luck with my timing as the incoming tide was meeting the snow line on the beach, which I often find an interesting motif.  The clouds here on the north side of the island also began to show some texture as they first met with the mountain wall of Lofoten.

There seem to have been a sheep or two which had wandered up and down the beach, leaving a maze of footprints in the otherwise almost completely untouched snow.  This reduced the possibilities of including more foreground in the composition and meant I needed to keep just to the water’s edge.  But in the end, I think it worked out quite okay.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24mm f/3.5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 50
f 16
25 sec
WB Daylight
6 stop B+W ND filter
2 images – top/bottom

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Back to Lofoten

It’s barely been six weeks since I left the islands, but another journey to Lofoten begins this morning.  From leaving my home in California to when I arrive at the hostel in Stamsund will be somewhere around a 38 hour journey.  Needles to say, I think the first thing I’ll do when I arrive is crawl into my sleeping bag for a few hours!

Normally it should’t take so long to get there, even from here in California, but when I left Europe last month I flew from Stockholm, which was more convenient at the time.  But not for my return, it is just an extra, unneeded excursion.

I was also planning on taking the ferry to Moskenes, but after looking things over once more, I have decided to catch the first flight of the day, 5:30 on Friday morning.  It should be nice to see the islands with the sun still low on the horizon.  Hopefully it’s not too cloudy!

And speaking of the sun, the sunset is now nearly 10pm, with any remains of night quickly vanishing.  And on the other end, sunrise is all to early.  I’m tired from hard work over the last month, but I doubt I’ll be getting much rest while on the islands.

This trip will also be a little different than my previous ones in that I’ll be meeting up with a couple fellow photographers visiting the islands for the first time and helping to show them around a bit.  It should be a fun time.

I leave the islands on May 10 and head south to Germany for a week, and then to Poland for a week, staying in friends in both places.  Hopefully the continent has warmed up to something more springlike by then.

And I apologize in advance,  but I’ll likely be a bit slow to reply to any emails I receive in the next weeks…

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Friday Photo # 15 – Stamsund Summer Twilight

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Summer evening twilight, Stamsund, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Late Summer twilight, Stamsund, Vestvagøyå, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  Aug 24, 2012.  00:59

Even one month after the Summer’s first sunset, the northern horizon of late August still glows throughout the night.

After several days of turbulent weather, this evening, my first after arriving at the hostel in Stamsund, was eerily calm.  With clear skies, I stayed up late in hopes of an early appearance of the Northern Lights, which had appeared a few nights prior.

Finally, on one of my trips up the small hill behind the hostel I came upon this scene.  I’m not sure what in particular I was drawn to, and perhaps at some other period in my life I would have passed this photo by, just content to be an observer.  but the stillness of the night was rare for Lofoten and as I had only been on the islands for a few days, I was still eager for photos.

More effort of my behalf would have perhaps led me down to the shoreline to shoot for a few more hours, but I think a comfy bed was calling my name by this point in my travels.  Still was a night to remember.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
24mm
ISO 200
f 5.6
30 sec
WB Daylight

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New Lofoten Prints Added to Gallery

I’ve added a few new (10 in total) prints from my last couple lofoten trips into my print gallery. – click here to checkout the gallery –

As my last few journeys to the islands have been with my D800, I’ve increased the size in which these new images are available to be printed.  The newly available images are available to be printed up to:

20×30 – $50
24×36 – $80
32×48 – $95

I made a few test prints at 32×48, and I must they, there are perhaps the most beautiful prints I’ve ever made!  The detail from the D800 is simply amazing.

 

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Friday Photo #14 – Winter Rorbu

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Traditional Rorbu cabin reflects in fjord in evening light, Valen, Reine, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Valen Rorbu, Moskenesøya, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  Feb 17, 2013.  17:00

Heavy skies had covered the islands for several days.  After spending the afternoon at Å, waiting for a sunset that would never arrive, I returned to the area of Reine while waiting to meet a friend in the early evening.  I sat close to the fjord at waited for any possibilities of light, but nothing.  The clouds hung low, concealing the mountain peaks.

As I was leaving the car, heading in the opposite direction, towards a view of Olstind, I saw the lights of this Rorbu turn on as the inhabitants returned from a day at sea.  Perhaps not what I would normally photograph, the gloomy weather drew me towards the light and this scene.  I made my way down the snow covered slope to some rocks just above the water, perilously perched on the snow and not knowing where one misstep would put me into the sea.

I took a few photos until the fishermen left and the lights turned off.  A moment of good timing or I would have missed the photo.  I think the heavy clouds concealing the summits of the distant peaks helps add to the atmosphere of this photo.  I can feel the darkness of Winter in this image.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24mm f/3/5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 100
f 8
3 sec
WB Daylight
2 images: top, bottom

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Friday Photo #13 – Haukland Beach Winter

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Haukland beach, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Haukland Beach winter, Vestvågøya, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  Feb 20, 2013

After a week of fairly cold temperatures and calm conditions, the weather began to change on this day.  Winds and increasing temperatures swept across the islands.  Rain instead of snow now fell and setting up a tripod became difficult.

I was planning on spending the night at Utakleiv, but after a quick trip out to the beach, it was quite obvious that I wouldn’t be taking any photos there.  So I headed back through the tunnel to Haukland beach and relatively calmer conditions – though I still had to wait for a lull in the breeze before attempting to take a photo.  The sea was rough, and crashing high up on the beach, so after a few minutes of observation, I found myself just at the edge of the high water line.  Then comes the waiting game…

Finally, after what seems like forever, the next set of waves arrives, pushing the sea just to the edge of my tripod legs.  With luck, the wind also remains calm for the 25 second exposure to keep my light backpacking tripod from shaking too much.  Moments later, drops of rain begin to fall from the clouds and photography is over for the day.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24-70 f/2.8
24mm
ISO 50
f 16
25 sec
WB Daylight
Filer – B+W 6 stop ND

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