Friday Photo #21 – Driftwood Campfire

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Evening campfire at Utakleiv beach, Lofoten Islands, Norway
Photo: Driftwood campfire, Utakleiv, Vestvågøya, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  Aug 27, 2012.  21:44

Despite the fact that it had been as near to a perfect day as is possible on Lofoten, I was the only one to setup a tent at Utakleiv this evening.  By late summer, burnable wood can be somewhat scarce to come by, all the best driftwood having been previously scoured from the beaches over the preceding months.  But despite this, I managed to collect together an unseemly assortment of half moist logs and boards from the rocks at Utakleiv.

Even in late summer the nights are so short that a fire isn’t really necessary, but to me it’s more of a tradition while camping than anything else.  Although sitting alone by a fire still feels a bit lonely, there was no one else around to share it with.  And so I sat, on one of the few calm evenings of summer 2012, myself and my fire at Utakleiv while the sun sank below the horizon.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24+70mm f-2.8
70mm
ISO 100
f 4
.3 sec
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #20 – Rolvsfjord

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Reflection of misty mountains and village, Rolvsfjord, Lofoten Islands, Norway
Photo: Rolvsfjord, Vestvågøya, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  Sept. 29, 2011.  13:03

If you spend enough time on the islands you’ll soon come to realize that the weather changes quite literally around every corner.  Taking the southern coastal road, 815, on Vestvågøya towards Svolvaer the seas were choppy an rough.  Until I rounded a corner near Rolvsfjord and the land sat in perfect calm.

Normally I avoid images with so many buildings, but something about this scene seemed too good to pass by.  Or perhaps it was merely that I’d yet to have anything for the day to show for.  But this image feels somewhat surreal and otherworldly to me.  The contrast of the fir trees to the amber colors of Autumn and the rising clouds of a recently passed shower help give depth to the image while the almost welcoming landscape seems soft and forgiving.  Almost something Lord of the Rings like in character.

Camera Info:
Nikon D700
Nikon 24-70 f-2.8
38mm
ISO 200
f 9
1/50 sec
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #19 – Stamsund Blue

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Dark weather over coast, Stamsund, Lofoten islands, Norway
Photo: Stamsund blue, Stamsund, Vestvågøya, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  Oct. 1, 2011.  16:41

I am not sure how many hours of my life I have stood in this location, the outer coast beyond the Stamsund youth hostel, but it is probably well into a day by now.  My more or less default spot when the weather is grim and I dare not venture too far from the warm fire burning in the old Eidsfos Verk #242.

On this gloomy autumn day, this is the only place I ventured to in hopes of a few images so as not to feel the day a complete waste.

Camera Info:
Nikon D700
Nikon 24-70 f-2.8
70mm
ISO 100
f 11
61 sec
WB Daylight
2 images – top/bottom

Friday Photo #18 – Winter Storm

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Dramatic scenery at snow covered coastline, Å I Lofoten, Lofoten Islands, Norway
Photo: Approaching winter storm, Å I Lofoten, Moskenesøya, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  Feb 12, 2012.  15:27

The last full day of my February 2012 Lofoten.  After nearly a week of positive temperatures and horrible rain, the thermostat fell below zero and snow once again fell upon the islands.  In late afternoon, I headed back to one of my favorite winter locations, the cliffs beyond Å.

It was one of those classic Lofoten winter days of snow flurries sweeping across the islands.  If you try and run from the weather on days like this, you’ll never get a shot if it’s more than a few minutes from your car.  You wait on the edge, watching as the next wave of snow heads towards you, shooting until the last minute.  Then you hide your camera under your jacket, turn your head away from the wind and wait until the snow passes, if it passes.

With luck, you only have to stand there 10-15 minutes until the clouds once again rise and a brilliant fresh layer of snow covers the land.  You try to shoot what you can as you watch the next cycle approach.  Repeat ad infinitum.  Winter on Lofoten.

Camera Info:
Nikon D700
Nikon 16-35 f-4
16mm
ISO 100
f 11
10 sec
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #17 – Reine Winter Sunrise

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snow covered Olstind mountain peak glows pink in winter sunrise, Reine, Lofoten Islands, Norway
Photo: Pink dawn, Reine, Moskenesøya, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  Feb 19, 2013.  08:16

This is perhaps what Winter photography on Lofoten is all about, mountains glowing pink in the low hanging sun.  In mid January, this would be your view the entire day.  However by mid February, the sun rises sufficiently high were only the first hour of the day will provide this sort of light.

Having stayed up somewhat late the previous night shooting a fantastic display of the Northern Lights I was perhaps a bit sluggish to leave my sleeping bag this morning; also aided by the fact that this was the coldest day of the entire trip.  Lucky for me, the sun moves slow in the north, leaving enough time for a lazy photographer to prepare for the day.

Having slept in the car at the parking lot in Å, not my preferred sleeping place, but all the others were covered in deep snow, I figured heading to the tourist viewpoint in Reine would probably be my best bet.  The upper view point was already crowded with others, so I headed down to the lower one, which few people seemed to visit for some reason.  I like the view from here better anyhow.  And so, I now have yet another image of Olstind, a mountain that I’ll probably never grow tired of photographing.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24-70 f-2.8
40mm
ISO 100
f 10
1/30 sec
WB Daylight