Friday Photo | 68 North

Friday Photo #100 – Campfire Aurora

December 5, 2014/0 Comments/in Autumn, Flakstadøya, Friday Photo/by Cody

Photo: Beach side campfire and Northern Lights, Storsandnes, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. September 16, 2014. 22:48

After two nights in the mountains I was sort of looking forward to a shower. But unfortunately for us, the forecast was for another night of clear skies, so instead of the warming fire and soft bed of the Stamsund hostel, it was to be a night sleeping in the car.

A couple weeks earlier I had gotten in brief contact with Theo and Bee, a British couple traveling around Europe in their VW van – checkout their website and blog at VDubVanLife. Anyhow, I sent them a text to see if they were up for an afternoon BBQ and campfire. They were.

Seeing as how we were both were sleeping in our vehicles, I figured Storsandnes would be a decent location – a good place for a BBQ, and if any northern lights decided to show up, a pretty good spot as well.

I love the month of September for its somewhat rare combination of (relatively) mild nights combined with long hours of darkness. The only equivalent darkness you will find is in March, when you generally don’t want to spend all that much time outdoors.

As evening progressed, I decided we couldn’t carry on without a campfire, so Theo and I scoured the coast to collect driftwood for our campfire. Luckily, this is an area seldom camped in, so there was plenty of wood to be found, enough for two nights of campfires as it turned out.

We sat around enjoying the fire for a while, but soon enough, I noticed that faint green glow in the sky; the horizon still carrying the colors of the day’s end. At that point, the photographer kicks in and any enjoyment of the campfire disappears. Well, that was until Theo and I thought the girls sitting around the fire with northern lights above would make for a nice photo. And then proceeded to tell them to ‘sit still’ for the next 20 or so minutes…

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
14mm
ISO 2500
f 3.2
15 seconds
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #99 – September Northern Lights

November 28, 2014/0 Comments/in Austvågøya, Autumn, Friday Photo/by Cody

Photo: Northern lights fill sky over Gimsøystraumen, Austvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. Sept 24, 2014. 21:31

September 2014 had already been a spectacular month for auroras on Lofoten, probably my best month ever. So as October, and my planned departure from the islands, approached, I was content, but still always hoping for maybe just one more…

With a forecast of some pretty heavy storms to hit the islands in the following days, we took advantage of what would likely be the last night of clear weather for the trip and camped out on the coast near Henningsvær. And as luck would have it, just after dark, a faint glow began to appear in the western sky, before finally erupting in almost 180˚ of aurora which lasted for hours. A good farewell to a month in the north.

Photographing the northern lights in the autumn is a different experience than winter. There is no need to polar expedition style down jackets, as at least on Lofoten, the temperatures often remain quite mild – though it did dip down to freezing on a couple nights. But what I don’t like as much is the lack of snow. If there is no moonlight, then all you will have are black mountain silhouettes in the foreground unless you can find a nice piece of water for a reflection and some separation.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
17mm
ISO 1600
f 3.2
8 seconds
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #98 – Grytdalstind And River

November 21, 2014/0 Comments/in Autumn, Friday Photo, Vestvågøya/by Cody

Photo: Grytdalsdind rises over river at dusk, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. Sept 24, 2013. 18:38

The river Nordalselva flows through Nordal valley before rising into the triangular peak of Grytdalstind. Only a short walk from Unstad, it feels completely wild here, with few signs that anyone has passed this way before you.

It had been an afternoon hiking and exploring, ending on the 534 meter, and quite exposed, summit of Grytdalstind. Getting lost on the numerous sheep trails during the descent, we lost a fair amount of time going cross country through the landscape. Normally this is fairly simple on Lofoten, but this area seemed to be especially rocky and with a few forests of dwarf birch to precariously navigate.

We were exiting the valley just as the last light was shining over the summit of Grytdalstind. I tried to find a good composition, but was too late in the quickly fading light. So I continued to hike on until I reached one of the crossings of the Nordalselva and thought it would make an interesting enough photo. I crossed the river and headed back up the other side until I reached a wider section, and I place I could get to without sinking in bog.

Had I been here about 20 minutes earlier, it would have no doubt been a much more dramatic photo. But I think the scene here is interesting enough to represent the end of a nice autumn day in the mountains of Lofoten.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24mm f/3.5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 200
f 13
15 seconds
WB Daylight
B+W 6 stop neutral density filter

Friday Photo #97 – Autumn Hiking

November 14, 2014/0 Comments/in Autumn, Friday Photo, Vestvågøya/by Cody

Photo: A hiker travels through the autumn mountain landscape, Vikjorden, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. Sept 29, 2012. 12:21

I’m not sure its possible for me to choose a favorite season on Lofoten, but it could possibly be autumn. The crowds of summer have left, the days begin to grow cool and short, the northern lights once again fill the night sky, and the land fills with color while storms return with increasing frequency.

The last couple years the islands have been fortunate to enjoy rather mild autumn weather, often better than summer! I’m somewhat less adventurous, as I never quite trust the weather, but I find it a nice time to head out and explore some new areas for some short hikes; just to see what I can find, and maybe return to in the summer’s better weather for camping.

On this particular day I had been photographing around some small roadside lakes when I saw a local pull up and head into the mountains along a faint trail. Curiosity got the best of me and I decided to follow him into the golden landscape; not like I had anywhere else to go, and it wasn’t likely to rain anytime soon.

Soon the trail passed a small lake and I veered off the trail and climbed a small hill to get a bit of an overview just as the man was hiking through the scene. I continued up the trail to another small lake and made note of a few mountain routes to return to in the future. Places which are rarely photographed yet no less spectacular than the iconic locations on Lofoten. It is these little discoveries that assure me that I will never get bored with Lofoten, I just have to go a little farther from the road…

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
34mm
ISO 100
f 7.1
1/400 second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #96 – Reine In Autumn

November 7, 2014/0 Comments/in Autumn, Friday Photo, Moskenesøya/by Cody

Photo: Reine in autumn, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. Sept 25, 2013. 12:49

The view of Reine and Olstind is perhaps the most photographed location on Lofoten. At anytime of year, it has the possibilities to provide fantastic light and produce one of Norway’s most iconic images.

On this afternoon in autumn I was simply walking by on my way to Reinebringen and though to myself, ‘ hey, blue sky!’ And so I pulled out my camera for a few images. Though I do have to say I like this image in autumn, as the addition of color in the landscape helps give a little more depth to the image. Though seeing as how I took this image almost at high noon, it’s not going to be the most memorable shot of this location, more of a ‘wow, this was a nice day’ moment, before I reached the summit of Reinebringen for some even better views.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
32mm
ISO 200
f 10
1/640 second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #95 – Hoven In Autumn

October 31, 2014/0 Comments/in Autumn, Friday Photo, Gimsøy/by Cody

Photo: Golden colored autumn landscape from the summit of Hoven, Gimsøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. Sept 26, 2012. 12:13

Hoven is something of a unique mountain on Lofoten in that it stands completely alone, surrounded by the flat, marshy lands of Gimsøy. I’m not sure what geological effects resulted in its creation, but today it sits, despite its low height, as one of the most recognizable mountains of Lofoten.

As autumn progresses and the land fills with color, Hoven provides a scenic view over the surrounding landscape. Though it is a landscape under threat.

The planes with Widerøe airlines currently flies to Lofoten are no longer in production. Thus Lofoten will require a longer runway in the near future. It is possible to extend the runway at Leknes, but this comes at the jealousy of Svolvær, who like to think of themselves as ‘the capital of Lofoten.’ And so they talk of building an airport at Gimsøy. Brilliant! Ruin a whole island because of a pissing match between two provincial towns…

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
24mm
ISO 100
f 9
1/125 second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #94 – Autumn Color

October 24, 2014/0 Comments/in Autumn, Friday Photo, Vestvågøya/by Cody

Photo: Colorful blueberry bush in autumn, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. Oct 3, 2012. 11:09

For those of you who’ve followed this site for a while, you’ll know that I’m not much of a macro/detail photographer. But sometimes getting close makes the most sense for what you’re trying to show, and thus you have today’s photo.

2012 was a brilliantly colorful autumn on Lofoten. After having spent close to 2 weeks in Sweden on the Kungsleden trail, and then this, I was about on color overload – which is a good thing!

Everywhere I was surrounded by golden birches, yellow grasses, and red blueberries. Entire hillsides filled with a multitude of colors. This particular day however, I couldn’t put light and landscape together in an effective way. I was always 5 minutes too late for whatever scene I was trying to capture. So finally I kind of gave up (I would later this day hike up Offersoykammen just to be in one place and quit chasing light) and looked for tiny elements that could somehow show what I was seeing. And so I changed my attention to the mountains and sky to a few small bushes around my feet.

While this image could have been taken anywhere in northern Europe, it still feels very ‘Lofoten’ to me somehow…

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 85mm f/2.8 tilt-shift
85mm
ISO 50
f 11
1/4 seconds
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #93 – Stamsund Aurora

October 17, 2014/0 Comments/in Autumn, Friday Photo, Vestvågøya/by Cody

Photo: Northern lights rise into the sky over Stamsund, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. Oct 8, 2011. 23:14

Good things (sometimes) come to those who wait. In my case, this was my last night of a 2 week trip on Lofoten. A trip which thus far the northern lights had failed to appear. For the most part it had been a fairly stormy and turbulent autumn on the islands, with only rare moments of clear skies. But on this final night in Stamsund, the weather calmed and the sky cleared. I could sense something would happen.

It was a small group of us left at the hostel and as usual were spent our evenings sitting around the table, warmed by the fire and hopefully some good food in our stomach (on this evening, young Nicola, the wandering French chef, had prepared quite a feast for the group as an end of season party).

Well after dark we heard a knock at the window, followed by ‘come outside quickly!’ Everyone rushed to put on their jackets, grab their gloves and head out into the night. Me, I had to run to grab my camera and tripod.

Entering the darkness of the night, the sky was filled with green. I immediately climbed the hill behind the hostel, and then headed out to the coast, joined by Nicola. Roar took the others out on the boat to watch from the calm waters of the Vestfjord as the aurora danced and filled the sky in every direction. Another one of those moments where I wish I could have had 10 cameras!

This was my best night of northern lights to date. My next best night occurred again on October 8th, the following year, where I was unfortunate enough the be aboard the Hurtigruten while sailing across the Vestfjord and northern lights filled the sky from horizon to horizon.

Camera Info:
Nikon D700
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
24mm
ISO 1250
f 3,2
15 seconds
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #92 – Holandsmelen Autumn

October 10, 2014/0 Comments/in Autumn, Friday Photo, Vestvågøya/by Cody

Photo: Autumn light shines across the rocky summit of Holandsmelen, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. September 26, 2013. 17:35

Day 3, mountain 3. After having spent a rather sleepless (because I was trying to keep an eye out for northern lights) night on Reinebringen and descending in the morning, I was feeling somewhat lazy and more or less content to sit around the Stamsund hostel eating popcorn. But as the hours of the day passed, it became evident that I couldn’t just sit around. So it my best ‘I’m lazy but need to do something’ mode, I headed towards the small peak of Holandsmelen.

I was a bit worried about the views, due to the close proximity to Leknes and the urbanized areas of Vestvågøy, but I figured there would at least be some decent views of Vik beach, and perhaps something else. I arrived on the summit with the sun hanging low on the horizon, quickly approaching a thickening layer of clouds out over the sea.

The best images were towards the beaches, where I managed to get a few exposures off before they fell into shadow. Luckily the sun remained shining a bit longer on the summit, giving me some time to explore the unique rocky texture of the otherwise ‘soft’ mountain. Holandsmelen is an easy hike and probably a place I’ll be back to to explore again with some different light, maybe I can even find a flat enough spot to sleep for the night, hopefully without too many rocks poking into my back.

The pointy mountain in the center of the image is Skottind.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
28mm
ISO 200
f 14
1/40 second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #91 – Kroktinden View

October 3, 2014/0 Comments/in Austvågøya, Autumn, Friday Photo/by Cody

Photo: The wild mountain peaks of Lofoten from the summit of Kroktinden, Austvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. Sept 27, 2013. 15:40

Day 4, mountain 4. After having dropped my camera in a lake in Sweden a few weeks earlier, by the time I received a new one I only had a week left on Lofoten. Luckily the autumn of 2013 was a calm and mild one for the most part and once I had a new camera, it was up to the mountains for four consecutive days before the weather finally deteriorated.

The 707 meter high Kroktind is a somewhat obscure peak in the Sydalen area of Austvågøy. But with legs getting a bit sore, my Swiss hiking partner Monika and I both figured this would be an interesting hike for the day.

By the time we reached the summit a layer of white cloud was beginning to conceal the sun. But being late September, it was t-shirt weather on the summit, as we sat and watched sea eagle circling around on nearby thermals. I nearly every direction mountains rose into the distance. And there were even some reflections of glaciers, somewhere far off on the Norwegian mainland.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
70mm
ISO 100
f 14
1/250 second
WB Daylight

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