Friday Photo #60 – Rorbu

Derelict Rorbu sits on edge of fjord, Vestvalen, Reine, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Abandoned Rorbu, Vestvalen, near Reine, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  Feb 17, 2017.  17:19

I posted a different version of this building a few months ago.  While I had been familiar with the location for many years, and had shot images from the building, I had never taken any images of the building, until this evening.

The last moments of light combined with low, heavy clouds provided the perfect atmosphere to accompany this abandoned rorbu for a scene that I waited years to come across.  I like to think I have seen everything Lofoten has to offer, but I have come nowhere close! Nearly every moment of every day is different, week after week, month after month, year after year.  I have rarely come across the same conditions in the same place twice.  One of the reason I never get bored with the islands; they are always changing!

While I don’t often tend to shoot architecture, this evening was perfect for this building.  Even to the detail of the mountain emerging from the clouds in the background.  I only had a short amount of time and then the sky opened up for the remainder of the night.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24mm f/3.5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 100
f 8
20 sec
WB Daylight
2 images – top, bottom

Friday Photo #59 – Bunes Beach Twilight

Sunset at Bunes Beach, Moskenesoy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Summer twilight over Bunes beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  August 16, 2013.  23:04

If you’re like me, and you like twilight, then even late summer on Lofoten leaves little time for sleep.  Only my second day on the islands and still jet lagged from travel, I was a little lucky to nap in the afternoons and not fully rise until the light was beginning to fade.

Bunes is a big beach!  I typically camp at the back of the beach, on the soft, grassy dunes, but from here it can be a bit of a trek before you actually reach the water’s edge.  What this means is that it’s usually not a simple task just to wander out for a photo or two, then head back.  It’s better to commit yourself for a few hours at a time, else you’ll spend more time walking than photographing.

I was lucky.  While the clouds were racing overhead, the wind on the beach remained calm.  With barely a glow left on the horizon, it was perfect lighting conditions for what I like to photograph on Lofoten.  Maybe a little more color could have been nice, but I still like the near mono-tonal quality of the blues.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24mm f/3.5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 50
f 16
30 sec
WB Daylight
2 images – top, bottom

Friday Photo #58 – Olstind Reflection

Olstind mountain peak rises from fjord, Reine, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Olstind Winter panoramic, near Reine, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  Feb 6, 2012.  16:10

Every time I travel to Lofoten I try and remind myself that I already have enough images of Olstind.  And yet every time I am there, Osltind provides me with something new, whether I want it or not.  And so, like sailers lured by the sirens, I find myself hopping across the rocks on the edge of the fjord, drawn towards Osltind.  The perfect mountain.

This particular day had been calm and cold.  The surface of the fjord began to freeze and the ice made an eerie sound as it gently broke against the rocks a few inches from my feet.  The sky was not quite what I was hoping, and the light a bit flat in the day’s final moments.  But with near perfectly still water, the reflection was perfect.

Camera Info:
Nikon D700
Nikon 24mm f/3.5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 200
f 8
.3 sec
WB Daylight
3 images – left, right, middle

Friday Photo #57 – Kjerkfjord Winter

Scenic winter view across Kjerkfjorden towards Vindstad, near Reine, Lofoten islands, Norway

Photo: Winter Reflection on Kjerkfjord, near Reine, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  Jan 6, 2010.  13:35

In the short days of early January the sun barely rises above the southern horizon.  If the sky is clear, then several hours of wonderful twilight is what a photographer will be rewarded with.

It is a rare event when all elements align perfectly, but when they do, there is perhaps no better place in the world to be than Lofoten, well, at least for those of us that like winter.

Nearing Reine, the fjord was almost perfectly still and they sky glowed pink.  In the distance, the snow covered mountains between Vindstad and Kjerkfjord reflected in the calm waters.  I knew I had precious little time on this day to get to as many places as possible.  Yet everywhere I looked was something amazing.  If I were able to stop the clock, then this this day could have lasted a full year…

Camera Info:
Nikon D700
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
70mm
ISO 200
f 8
1/40 sec
WB Daylight