Friday Photo #689 – Unstad Flow

Photo: Waves flow over rocks at Unstad beach, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. January 28, 2026. 11:25

After all these years, Unstad still remains one of my favourite beaches on Lofoten and is one of the few beaches that I’ll still go to on my own as well, not just with photo workshops. On this day though, it was my first workshop of the year which got lucky with some nice and moody conditions before warming back up with a nice cinnamon bun at the surf shop. Not a bad way to start the morning.

In general for Unstad, the stormier the better, to the extent that you can still walk normally and not risk getting blow over, as there’s not much fun shooting in that. But some nice waves flowing over the rocks with passing snow flurries in the distance give Unstad a pretty nice mood when it happens. And with the constant passing of winter storms and high or low tides, the rocks are always in a different pattern and the waves flowing differently.

Unstad also works well as a beach for teaching seascape photography. While Uttakleiv is more popular among photographers, I find it easier to get better compositions out of Unstad. And, more importantly, it is generally a bit safer for many clients than the slippery and icy rock slaps at Uttakleiv, which has been particularly icy so far this winter due to the many weeks of cold. And in a couple more weeks, when the sun begins to set to the right over Helligberget, the last mountain, all kinds of interesting light becomes possible. I’ll be back for sure…

Camera Info:
Nikon Z8
Nikon 14-30mm f/4
25mm
ISO 64
f10
1/2 Second
WB Daylight