Winter sunset over mountain of Moskenesøy from Fredvang bridges, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Winter mountain reflection, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. January 17, 2015. 13:21

The Fredvang bridges are one of my favorite winter locations as they provide a variety of unobstructed views towards the wild mountains of Moskenesøy. In early and mid winter especially, the sun sets behind the mountains, filling the sky with light if the conditions are right.

This particular day, while leading a group for Muench workshops (keep an eye out for another tour in 2017), we had almost perfect conditions.  With sunset arriving in the early afternoon in mid January, I saw that the calm conditions and light layer of clouds might result in some good light.  I think so!

Even looking in the other direction, where a soft pastel filled the sky over Ramberg, there were numerous scenes to be photographed within a few minutes walk from the vans.

Camera Info:
Nikon D810
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
70mm
ISO 100
f 9
1/60 second
WB Daylight

tent illuminated at night while wild camping at scenic Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

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

Snow covered Haukland beach in winter, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: River flowing through a snow covered Haukland beach, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. February 3, 2015; 08:38

The day arrived flat and grey, with textureless waves of snow passing over the islands like a curtain swept across the land.  Despite the lack of any interesting light, it is always worth taking advantage of a fresh layer of snow on one of Lofoten’s many beaches – something that is becoming more and more difficult as the islands fill with photographers and the beaches quickly become full of footprints.

With a blank canvas of white covering the land and filling the sky, I needed to find some area of contrast for the scene.  Luckily, part of the small river flowing across Haukland was still uncovered, leading nicely to the mountain in the background, making a diagonal line across the photo. Nothing dramatic, but a nice scene none-the-less.

I should also add a note of caution for days like this. Haukland often has a small pond that forms on the back of the beach.  When covered in a blank layer of snow, it can be really easy to miss the fact that you are leaving sand and beginning to walk across ice, which probably won’t support you for more than a few steps.  If you are unfamiliar with the area and have not recently seen where the pond is, proceed cautiously, otherwise you might end up to your waste in freezing water…

Camera Info:
Nikon D810
Nikon 24mm f/3.5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 100
f 11
5 seconds
WB Daylight
2 images: top, bottom

Winter sunrise over mountain landscape, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Stormy winter mountain sunrise, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. January 31, 2015; 10:46

Following on last weeks image, here is a wide angle view of the same scene a little while later.  Quite a difference and hard to even tell I was at the same location. And even though 30 minutes or so had passed, the slowly rising sun of the arctic allows for a lot of time to work with the light – assuming no clouds get in the way.

Though I was only part-way to my goal of Ryten for the day, the wind was already beginning to pick up as I gained elevation.  I thought the shadows formed from the wind sculpted snow created an interesting foreground element to the scene, while the sun just rising over the distant hill adds a bit of balance to an area that would otherwise feel to dark to me.

Camera Info:
Nikon D810
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
14mm
ISO 250
f 16
1/80 second
WB Daylight

Ebook - Kungsleden North Hiking Guide

I’m super happy to announce the release of my 4th eBook: Kungsleden North

More info and sales page here.

Kungsleden North is a day to day hiking guide covering the northern 180km of Sweden’s Kungsleden trail from Abisko to Kvikkjokk, including the popular northern loop of Abisko to Nikkaluokta. This guide covers everything from the basics of how to get there, what clothes you need to wear, to a day by day hiking guide of the trail. And more than just a written guide, Kungsleden North also provides you with hundreds of images to help inspire your hike.

Available here for $10

PDF, 161 pages, 140 images, 15,000 words. 160 MB download