Friday Photo #34 – Munkebu Hut in Autumn

, ,

Munkebu mountain hut with Hermannsdalstinen peak in distance, Moskenesøya, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Munkebu hut and Hermannsdalstind in Autumn, Moskenesøya, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  Oct 7, 2012.  13:27

My last full day on the islands for 2012.  After a rather stormy last few days, the weather cleared up and I decided to make one last journey into the hills.  I had originally planned on getting an early start to the day and maybe making an attempt on Hermannsdalstind, but that didn’t happen; perhaps because I stayed up too late the previous night looking for Northern Lights.

By this time in the year, end of the first week of October, nearly all the trees across the islands had lost their leaves.  While this left much of the islands somewhat barren looking as they awaited the arrival of the first snows, the low, ground foliage still had some nice color to be seen.

I had actually planned at staying a night or two in the Munkebu hut in August or September, but someone decided to infect the place with bed bugs (eeeekkk!), so it was closed the majority of the 2012 Summer season (as far as I have read, it has been re-opened for 2013, but that’s probably a bit late news for you if you’re reading this now).  But as I’d never been up here before, I decided just to start hiking and see where I ended up for the day.

While I think this area is quite a beautiful part of the islands, and one of the the most isolated parts of Moskenesøya, one of the landscape photographers greatest nemeses is present, power lines!  grrr!  There would be some beautiful, untouched views from up here, yet a row of power lines always seem to find their way into the best composition.  And I’m not even sure what they’re doing way out here, and the poor guys that had to put them in in the first place, but they’re there.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24-70f/2.8
29mm
ISO 200
f 8
1/200 sec
WB Daylight

/0 Comments/by

Friday Photo #20 – Rolvsfjord

, ,

Reflection of misty mountains and village, Rolvsfjord, Lofoten Islands, Norway
Photo: Rolvsfjord, Vestvågøya, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  Sept. 29, 2011.  13:03

If you spend enough time on the islands you’ll soon come to realize that the weather changes quite literally around every corner.  Taking the southern coastal road, 815, on Vestvågøya towards Svolvaer the seas were choppy an rough.  Until I rounded a corner near Rolvsfjord and the land sat in perfect calm.

Normally I avoid images with so many buildings, but something about this scene seemed too good to pass by.  Or perhaps it was merely that I’d yet to have anything for the day to show for.  But this image feels somewhat surreal and otherworldly to me.  The contrast of the fir trees to the amber colors of Autumn and the rising clouds of a recently passed shower help give depth to the image while the almost welcoming landscape seems soft and forgiving.  Almost something Lord of the Rings like in character.

Camera Info:
Nikon D700
Nikon 24-70 f-2.8
38mm
ISO 200
f 9
1/50 sec
WB Daylight

/0 Comments/by

Friday Photo #19 – Stamsund Blue

, ,

Dark weather over coast, Stamsund, Lofoten islands, Norway
Photo: Stamsund blue, Stamsund, Vestvågøya, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  Oct. 1, 2011.  16:41

I am not sure how many hours of my life I have stood in this location, the outer coast beyond the Stamsund youth hostel, but it is probably well into a day by now.  My more or less default spot when the weather is grim and I dare not venture too far from the warm fire burning in the old Eidsfos Verk #242.

On this gloomy autumn day, this is the only place I ventured to in hopes of a few images so as not to feel the day a complete waste.

Camera Info:
Nikon D700
Nikon 24-70 f-2.8
70mm
ISO 100
f 11
61 sec
WB Daylight
2 images – top/bottom

/0 Comments/by

Friday Photo #6 – Maervoll Autumn

, ,

Dramatic light over mountains and coast, Maervoll, Lofoten islands, Norway

Photo: Afternoon light shines over Mærvoll and Himmeltindan, Vestvågøya, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  Oct 7, 2011.  17:17

Thus far the day had consisted of flat, misty light and I’d only taken a couple boring photos.  As evening approached I headed out to Unstad to see if there might be some clearing on the horizon.  There was, but it was out of alignment with any photogenic composition.  And the wind, it was a bit too windy for my small little tripod to have any hopes of a sharp photo.  So at that, I packed up my gear and started heading back to Stamsund for the night.

Emerging on the other side of the tunnel, this scene came into view.  A light mistily rain was minutes away from falling on me and the sun had just started shining through a hole in the clouds, casting a soft golden light across the land.  So I stopped the car on the side of the road and raced to get a few photos before the rain arrived.

While I find the symmetry of this scene pleasing, there are also some distractions that can make a good composition a bit difficult.  Just out of frame to the right is a sit of power lines on the hillside.  And along the bottom of the fjord is the village of Maervoll.  Keeping the foreground dark helps reduce the impact of the village, while a tighter framing keeps out the power lines, although I think the scene would be a bit better if I could go a bit wider.

Camera Info:
Nikon D700
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
42mm
ISO 200
f 8
1/400 sec
WB Daylight
Single Image
No Filters

/0 Comments/by

Friday Photo #2 – Autumn on Offersoykammen

, ,

Offersoykammen lofoten islands hiking

Photo: Autumn sunset from summit of Offersøykammen, Vestvågøya, Lofoten Islands.  October 3, 2012

To coincide with this weeks new hiking guide, here’s a photo from the summit of Offersøykammen, a small, isolated mountain peak on the western most edge of Vestvågøya.

Autumn on Offersøykammen: The day so far had been a typical blustery Autumn day on Lofoten; clouds and rain, light and shadow.  But as late afternoon approached, and having nearly driven around the whole of Vestvågøya, I knew I had yet to capture an image that would represent the day, and more importantly, the brilliance of Autumn on the Lofoten Islands.  The previous day I had also hiked up Himmentindan, the highest peak on Vestvågøya, so I was telling my legs I’d give them a rest day.  And so with that in mind, I figured I might as well make the easy hike up Offersøykammen and see what the light would provide.

I reached the summit as the sun was hanging low over the mountains of Flakstadøya in the west, casting a brilliant golden light over the colourful Autumn foliage on the relatively flat summit.  I shot several compositions including various rocks as a foreground element, but this scene seemed the most balanced to me.

As I waited around for the sun to lower, I noticed a mist begin to form around the mountain below me.  This soon turned into light clouds blowing over the ridge, climbing higher and higher until the summit was surrounded by a sea of clouds.  I went back to the rocks and made this image, as I like the way the mist had a softening effect on the light.  10 minutes later, I was in a complete whiteout, the sun now invisible.  And so my hopes of sunset were gone.

As I left the summit and descended back below the clouds I soon discovered that I had pretty much chosen the only peak to be covered in clouds, nearly everything else remained free and clear in the softening evening light.  But looking back, I think the clouds had near perfect timing for the creation of this image, something maybe a bit more special than I would have seen had it not arrived.

Technical notes: Image is from a single RAW file processed twice: once for foreground and once for background.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24-70 f/2.8
24mm
ISO 100
f 13
1/10 sec
WB Daylight
Single Image
No Filters

/2 Comments/by