Friday Photo #234 – Gimsøy Summer

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Gimsøy Summer - Friday Photo #234

Photo: Hoven reflects in small pond under light of the midnight sun, Gimsøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 12, 2017. 00:57

Even thought the midnight sun doest look visually different than a sun low on the horizon at any other time of the day, there is just something magical about being out late into the early morning and it never getting dark. Part of me wishes the whole year could be like this, but then it wouldn’t be special.

Guiding a workshop from Tromsø to Lofoten this June, we had absolutely perfect timing with the weather. A few days before I drove north it had still been snowing here and I was telling everyone to make sure they had good jackets. However as I reached the airport in Tromsø after a night camping on Kvaløya, it’s a long drive from Lofoten, it was t-shirt weather and sunshine! Endless sunshine for days and days.

After some time on Senja we made the journey south to Lofoten. This was the first night when we finally got some nice drama in the sky, the other days being mostly cloudless. So we headed off to Gimsøy to do some exploring.

This was the last stop of the evening as we were on the way back to Henningsvær. I’ve stopped by this small lake dozens of times over the years, but I think this is the best I’ve seen it! The sun was perfect, just below the layer of clouds that had been growing throughout the evening and the rest of the world was still and silent. perfect.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
21mm
ISO 80
f 10
1/15 second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #233 – Helvetestind Fog

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Helvetestind - Friday Photo #233

Photo: Summer fog flowing over Vindstad from Helvetestind, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 13, 2017. 23:06

I wasn’t planning to post another photo from Helvetestind, but I also hadn’t planned on making my second trip up the mountain in 2 weeks. I guess these things just happen.

While guiding a small private tour over the last two weeks, decided to take some of the group out to Vindstad and Bunes beach for the evening. After a cold spring, summer had finally arrived and we were now a full week into t-shirt weather and non stop clear skies. As we caught a boat out to Vindstad in the early evening, I noticed some signs of fog out over Bunes. As the minutes passed, the fog increased, until it became a heavy cloud of grey flowing over the pass towards Vindstad.

The original plan had been to shoot the midnight sun from Bunes and some of the nearby view points. However, the beach was now fully concealed beneath a layer of heavy fog, the location of the sun barely distinguishable. ‘Should we go up?’ I asked. And with that I began my 2nd hike in the same number of weeks up Helvetestind.

Arriving at the summit, we were high above the fog, the wind was calm and it was t-shirt weather under the bright sun, now somewhat low in the northern sky. The beach was concealed, but the flowing fog more than made up for that! Just one of those magical nights in the mountains of Lofoten.

We hung around until just after midnight before heading back down again to catch our ride back to Sakrisøy at 02:00.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
24mm
ISO 50
f 11
61 seconds
WB Daylight
10 stop B+W ND filter

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Friday Photo #232 – Helvetestind Camping

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Helvetestind Camping - Friday Photo #232

Photo: Summit camp on Helvetestind, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 4, 2017. 00:42

Continuing from last weeks photo over Bunes beach, here is my camping spot on the summit of Helvetestind. Truthfully, I thought about just sleeping out in the open for the night, though it had been a bit on the windy side. But I didn’t carry my tent all the way up mountain for northing, so I might as well set it up for some photos!

My main goal for a night on the summit was the last light over Bunes beach and Storskiva. But as the night grows late, the sun passes too far north and Bunes loses any direct light. However, high in the mountains, the sun still shines as it travels from peak to peak. It is sort of a guessing game as to what light you will get, where. Experience in the mountains here helps, but I’m still always surprised by something new. Which unfortunately makes it difficult to sleep sometimes, because as soon as you thing the light might be gone, something new happens!

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
24mm
ISO 100
f 9
1/15 second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #231 – Bunes Beach

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Bunes Beach - Friday Photo #231

Photo: Midnight sun over Bunes beach from Helvetestind, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 3, 2017. 23:56

On my first visit to Helvetestind some years ago I wasn’t sure if it was possible to camp on the summit, so I left my backpack lower down on the mountain before proceeding up, and seeing that the summit was a perfect place for a tent! Next time I said to myself. Well finally, last weekend was the next time.

With the controversy over whether Reinebringen is closed, can be closed, should be avoided, etc. going on at the moment. I often wonder why there is so much attention paid to one or two specific mountains on Lofoten. I knew Helvetestind to be one of the best views on Lofoten, and yet it has taken me years to get back there. Why? Because there are many other, equally fantastic views across these islands which have also kept me busy over the years. And it will probably be several more years before I return again. There are simply too many mountains here!

This summer has been off to a bit of a slow, cold start. I’ve been waiting until the landscape turns a bit more green before beginning with my mountain projects for the summer – most of which will focus on Vestvågøy this year. But for some reason, I had the strings pulling me back to Helvetestind for my first midnight sun summit of the season. And so, with a promising weather forecast over the weekend, I decided to go for it.

The light had been more dramatic over the previous days, but it was also far too windy for summit camping. And while I would have liked a bit more drama in the sky, it was a fairly calm and peaceful summer night. Although, it is rare that one can ever truly escape the wind here on Lofoten, my tent was a bit noisy as I went to bed around 02:00

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
14mm
ISO 100
f 9
1/20 second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #230 – Myrland Spring

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Myrland Spring - Friday Photo #230

Photo: Spring snow over Myrland, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. May 30, 2017. 23:34

A cold north wind has been blowing across Lofoten during the last week. And while the summer sun has arrived on the islands, summer temperatures seem far away! Fresh snow has fallen across the mountains on several days, and while somewhat normal, it has been a colder than average May here in the north. And I just read that some areas of 3x the amount of snow than normal right now. Perhaps I should pull out the skis and head back to the mountains!

Often I watch the nice light and dramatic clouds outside my window during the evening, thinking to myself that I should head out to the mountains, until I remember the work I still need to do, and continue typing away on the computer. But the other day, I finally succumbed to the temptation and went for a quick sprint up Hornet.

Unfortunately, I waited a little too long, and a lay of clouds ate the sun before I reached the summit. I did manage a coupe images of the soft light shining over the valley, but nothing much compared to what I would have seen if I left an hour earlier. But with this my new backyard, I think I will have plenty of chances for something special in the next years.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
14mm
ISO 100
f 9
1/15 second
WB Daylight

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