Friday Photo | 68 North

Friday Photo #87 – Stamsund Sunset

September 5, 2014/0 Comments/in Friday Photo, Summer, Vestvågøya/by Cody

Photo: Pink sunset over Stamsund, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. July 22, 2010. 00:51

The year 2010 was my first summer back on Lofoten for four years, having spent my last few trips getting to know the islands in the other seasons. As usual, my first stop on the islands was the Stamsund hostel, where I had arranged a meeting with a German friend whom I had spent some weeks with during the previous autumn: a fellow Lofoten addict.

Despite the village of Stamsund not being the most interesting place on Lofoten, there is still something of a wild and unspoiled coast just a short distance from the harbor beyond the hostel. I have stood upon these rocks dozens of times in all sorts of weather. They are one of those places where I can be sitting inside and eating dinner and then Roar will come knocking at the window, ‘ Come outside, the sky is pink!’

And so I gather my camera and run out across the rocks, sometimes a little slippery if it has been raining, and head towards the sea.

This evening a bitter wind was blowing, but the light was brilliant. I found a somewhat sheltered spot on the rocks to take this photo, the waves crashing at my feet.

Camera Info:
Nikon D700
Nikon 16-35mm f/4
23mm
ISO 200
f 16
0.3 second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #85 – Uttakleiv Light

August 29, 2014/0 Comments/in Friday Photo, Summer, Vestvågøya/by Cody

Photo: Afternoon light at Utakleiv beach, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. August 28, 2013. 18:14

For the last few years I’ve tried to tell myself that I have enough photos of Utakliev beach. Yet, like clockwork, each time I’m on the islands I head out there, ‘ just the check things out…’ Often I find the place windswept and barren. Yet on certain days, where the rest of the islands are under gale force winds, Utakleiv can be the place where a tripod wont blow over.

This was a particularly blustery summer day. I had stopped at a few different locations, but most were more windy than I would have liked. The clouds were moving fast through the sky and the fleeting moments of sun were separated by spells of heavy, sideways falling, rain.

I headed out to Utakleiv in the rain and waited in the car until I could see the rain beginning to pass. Soon enough a bit of sun began to shine in the distance. Looking to the left, I could see the next front quickly approaching. I had time for a few photos and then drops of rain began to fall again while the distant mountains disappeared behind the clouds.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24mm f/3,5 tilt+shift
24mm
ISO 50
f 16
8 seconds
WB Daylight
2 images – top, bottom
6 stop B+W neutral density filter

Friday Photo #85 – Vestfjord Moonrise

August 22, 2014/0 Comments/in Friday Photo, Moskenesøya, Summer/by Cody

Photo: Moonrise over Vestfjord from summit of Hermannsdalstind, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. August 23, 2013. 21:15

It was early evening by the time I arrived on the summit of Hermannsdalstind, the sun hanging low on the western horizon. I didn’t really have much of a plan, other than I would sleep on the summit if possible, which I didn’t really know before arriving. I had heard there was some place to put a tent, but if so, I didn’t find it. Luckily for me though, the weather was calm, for Lofoten standards. I found a mostly flat rock just below the summit, which didn’t look too easy to fall off of, and decided that is where I would sleep for the night.

With the sun setting into the Norwegian sea to the west, a near full moon was rising across the Vestfjord to the east. The sky was becoming a little hazy, and the light wasn’t as brilliant as could be, but it was one of those ‘wow’ moments.

I go up into the mountain and suffer discomfort in an attempt to capture beautiful images of scenes that not many people will ever see. Sometimes conditions work photographically and I come away with something nice. But more often the moment of just being there is the reward for all the sweat of carrying a heavy backpack up a steep mountain.

It was only me up there, alone on the top of Lofoten, the surrounding world in perfect calm. I only had a little water and a little food, but even without, the views for my eyes would have been enough to sustain me for the night. Had the rain soon come, I would have been thankful for my few hours up there. Some (many) moments are better in reality than photographs.

In our over saturated, super dynamic, focus stacked, and micro contrasted world which is the current state of online landscape photography, it is good to remember why we began our journeys to these places in the first part. For the experience, for the adventure, for the being…

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 85mm f/2.8 tilt+shift
85mm
ISO 200
f 8
1/25 second
WB Daylight
2 images – top, bottom

Friday Photo #84 – Stamsund Twilight

August 15, 2014/0 Comments/in Friday Photo, Summer, Vestvågøya/by Cody

Photo: Summer twilight, Stamsund, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. July 31, 2010. 01:19

Summers on Lofoten mean sleepless nights. With the sun finally setting in mid July, the following weeks provide magical twilight nights as the end of summer begins to approach. It is in these weeks that I like to head out at midnight and see what I can find.

Stamsund was my base for all of my first visits to Lofoten. I was poor in those days and more or less happy just to be on the islands. I couldn’t afford a rental car, so I would spend many of my days wandering around the coast and nearby mountains of the hostel.

Even to this day, the coastline just a short walk from the hostel remains one of my favorite places to photograph. Over the years I have seen everything, from the seasons first snow, northern lights from horizon to horizon, gale force storms, and calm silence. It is someplace I will return to again and again, always finding some new light to photograph.

Camera Info:
Nikon D700
Nikon 85mm f/2,8 tilt+shift
85mm
ISO 200
f 8
121 seconds
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #83 – Sea And Sky

August 8, 2014/0 Comments/in Friday Photo, Moskenesøya, Summer/by Cody

Photo: Evening sun over Norwegian sea from Ryten, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. August 26, 2012. 20:38

An hour after I took last week’s photo, the sun was finally beginning to near the horizon. It had been a long, cold wait on the summit after being rained on while only having my fleece, but as every minute passed the light got better.

The sea was actually pretty calm as the only wind was up high on the summit. A few rain showers still threatened, but they remained out at sea fortunately. One more and I probably would have given up and hiked back down to the warmth of my sleeping bag.

The simplicity of this view, sea and sky, might not be something that exists forever. While the current Norwegian government has (thankfully) put a stop to oil exploration off the Lofoten coast, these waters are still under threat and one day this view might be blemished by a row of oil platforms. A tragedy in my opinion!

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

Friday Photo #82 – Kjerringa Rain

August 1, 2014/0 Comments/in Friday Photo, Moskenesøya, Summer/by Cody

Photo: Summer showers over Kjerringa from Ryten, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. August 26, 2012. 19:40

This photo is from almost exactly a year earlier that last week’s image, taken during my first hike up Ryten. I actually hadn’t really planned, nor prepared to hike up the mountain, but when I was a little way up the trail from Kvalvika, a young German guy (the only other person camping at Kvalvika that night) asked me if I was interested in going up the mountain. Standing there only in a light fleece, no rain jacket, no water, no food, no gloves. My answer was obviously yes.

The weather looked good enough as we set off up the hill. But upon reaching the approximately half way point, this nice little cloud appeared from behind Kjerringa. A little further up the mountain it caught up with us. Heavy, cold drops of rain which quickly soaked through my fleece. We ran to the largest boulder we could find and did our best to shelter from the rain, which was also falling quite sideways, thankfully.

As the rain passed a brilliant rainbow soon formed over the land, which was now golden in the low evening sun. Cold and wet, I remained on the summit until sunset. One of my most memorable days on Lofoten.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24-70mm f/2,8
35mm
ISO 200
f 9
1/320 second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #81 – Ryten And Kvalvika

July 25, 2014/0 Comments/in Friday Photo, Moskenesøya, Spring/by Cody

Photo: Evening light over Kvalvika beach from Ryten, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Noway. August 30, 2013. 19:53

I think the view from Ryten down to Kvalvika beach is perhaps one of the most spectacular scenes on Lofoten. I know Reinebringen gets a little more press, mainly because it’s easier to get to, thus climbed more often, but the view from Ryten definitely holds its own in my opinion.

Having been up the mountain a few times now, I’m always left with the dilemma of how early to begin hiking. I like to catch the afternoon/evening (depending on time of year) sun shining into Kvalvika bay (whale bay bay for you Norwegians 😉 ), yet I also like to try and remain on the summit for sunset. Unfortunately, these events can be rather far apart, and usually involve a long, cold wait between the two.

This afternoon was one of those cold, windy days. While the photo and light might look somewhat peaceful, a harsh, bitter wind was raking across the summit. My partner is sitting down because it was quite possible for her to safely stand! I could barely focus the image as my eyes were watering up so much every time I looked through the view finder. And it’s a near miracle I managed any sharp images.

Despite the wind, the light was so nice. I wanted to remain until sunset, but it was obvious I wouldn’t get any sharp images once I needed longer shutter speeds as my tripod blew over a few times (without my camera) which is never a good sign…

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24-70mm f/2,8
26mm
ISO 250
f 7.1
1/200 second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #80 – Bunes Beach From Helvetestinden

July 18, 2014/0 Comments/in Friday Photo, Moskenesøya, Summer/by Cody

Photo: Bunes beach from Helvetestind, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. August 15, 2013. 11:54

Helvetestind is one of those mountains I got to know from the ground before the summit. A massive, solid piece of granite, it rises nearly vertical from the vast sands of Bunes beach to a narrow summit some 600 meters above. From sea of summit, the mountain is something to look at, or from. But now having stood on top, the view from up here is much better!

My journey to the summit was a long one, have been traveling non-stop since I walk out my door in California some 38-40 hours before. In my usual style for heading to Lofoten, I like to leave my schedule as open as possible once I arrive on the islands as you never know what the weather will do. Rain usually means I go and hide in Stamsund, while sun means sleep might still be some hours away as I journey strait into the mountains.

For some strange reason, the islands greeted me with sun. And not just normal sun, but a day with some fantastic puffy white clouds gently floating against a background of blue. I shot a few time-lapse sequences this day, which may or may not ever be put to use (I need a new computer first).

I set up camp lower down on the ridge, thinking the summit would be a bit too exposed if the weather turned, though maybe I will try it out next time. Though I did hike back towards the summit at dusk, it was somewhat dull and uneventful, so I didn’t miss too much being lower down.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 16-35mm f/4
16mm
ISO 250
f 9
1/800 second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #79 – Hermannsdalstind Storm

July 11, 2014/0 Comments/in Friday Photo, Moskenesøya, Summer/by Cody

Photo: Darkening sky over Hermannsdalstind, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. Aug 24, 2013. 08:46

After having spent the night out in the open on the summit of Hermannsdalstind, the highest mountain in the western half of Lofoten, I was unsure of how my day would continue. Since I had arrived rather late in the afternoon on the previous day, I figured the best plan would be to wait around on the summit for a few hours and see what the light would do.

Within a couple hour of sunrise, still quite early in the morning, being summer and all, I noticed an ominous cloud beginning to form over one of the nearby peaks. One of those clouds that in the mountains means ‘something is coming.’ The winds had slowing been increasing over the course of the morning as well, so I took these as signs that I shouldn’t wait around too long.

As I began to descend a thin wisp of clouds began to swirl over the summit. Further down the mountain the sky became ominously dark and I was wondering if I’d be able to get to Munkebu hut, where I was planning to camp for the night, before rain began to fall.

With the sun nearly concealed behind the clouds I stopped to take a few last photos of the mountain before the day’s light was gone. Soon after the summit was hidden and the already cool day grew colder. I passed a few groups making their way up the mountain, bad timing. I was glad to be going down!

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
24mm
ISO 320
f 10
1/320 seconds
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #78 – Ice Puzzle

July 4, 2014/0 Comments/in Friday Photo, Vestvågøya, Winter/by Cody

Photo: Ice puzzle, Nedredal, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. February 7, 2014. 15:23

Despite the cold temperatures and traces of snow on the higher mountain peaks, Winter in the low grounds was particularly difficult to find this year (2014). With barely any snow to speak of, I was left looking for other ways to show that it was February and not May on Lofoten.

The southern road, 815, on the Vestfjord side of Vestvågøy is a seldom photographed area of the islands, but a location that often provides a variety of compositions in changeable light. Or in the case of Winter, the low, boggy sections of coastline where fresh and salt water meet tend to freeze and break apart after a sufficient period of cold.

The result can be a scenic coastal landscape covered in puzzle-like sheets of ice. Exposed to the southwardly setting sun, what looked like a promising sunset unfortunately faded away into Winter’s usual combination of a deep blue-gray color as the last light faded from the sky. But I still like the abstract and complex, yet simple, composition of the image.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24mm f/3.5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 100
f 13
.3 seconds
WB Daylight
2 images – top, bottom

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