Friday Photo #502 – Summer Wind

Photo: Clouds of beach sand blow across Horseid beach, Lofotodden national park, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. August 8, 2021. 10:02

While the weather forecast looked decent for a couple nights camping at Horseid beach, already during the early morning hours of the first night I could sense the wind picking up do to the increased shaking of my tent. By the time I emerged from my sleeping bag, it was a proper wind storm blowing across the beach. I had planned for a 2nd night, but with conditions as they were, I decided to pack up and catch the ferry home – better to return later than a potentially broken tent.

August is typically my favourite month for camping on Lofoten, as the nights are finally long enough that carrying a tent makes sense. Otherwise, in June and July when I will typically be shooting the late night hours anyhow, I can just head home when I’m finished and enjoy the comfort of my bed – as well as a lighter backpack! But in August, the headlamp and tent begin to be carried more often.

Still technically summer and having checked the weather forecast, one still always needs to be observant of conditions and adjust plans accordingly. For this scene, it wasn’t just the wind that led me call my trip a day short, but also that the large clouds of sand that you can see in the center of the image were blowing right across the camping areas of Horseid, leaving everything covered in a fine dusting of sand. Walking back into the wind was also a struggle, and I kept to the right side of the beach to avoid as much blowing stand as possible, but it was still there, stinging eyes and skin for the 1km walk across the beach.

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon Z7 II
Nikon 24-200mm f/4-6.3
24mm
ISO 100
f 8
1/640 second
WB Daylight