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Friday Photo #134 – Unstad Beach

Mountain view over Unstad beach, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Summer light over Unstad, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 7, 2015. 21:27

Clouds and frequent rain showers had been passing the Islands all day. But finally by evening, the sky seemed to be clearing enough for me to venture out to the hills.

My objective was a small mountain above Unstad, but not knowing where/if there was an actual route to the summit, I picked what looked like the most obvious way, a steep grassy hillside full of grazing sheep with a small creek running down the middle. Progress was slow as the wet grass was slippery and inconsistent, often with rocks buried beneath.

About halfway to the ridge I was trying to reach, I realized the light would be gone before I arrived. So I traversed over a steep slope and out onto some cliffs where I could get a nice view of Unstad, with the low evening sun shining across the village. The shadows of the clouds were racing across the land. giving depth to the scene. I would have liked to have been on top of the mountain, but I’m happy with the results here.

Camera Info:
Nikon D810
Nikon 70-200mm f/4
98mm
ISO 250
f 8
1/320 second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #133 – Offersoykammen Midnight Sun

MIdnight sun view over coastal landscape from summit of Offersøykammen mountain peak, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Midnight sun from Offersøykammen, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 7, 2015. 00:45

The good thing about summer on Lofoten is that even if you get a late start, the sun will still be around. I started the evening unsuccessfully trying to make my way to a trail-less summit near Unstad. As it became apparent that the light I was after wasn’t going to wait until I reached the top, I headed down and proceeded to make other plans as my soaked shoes where drying in the car’s heater.

With a couple options available, I chose Offersøykammen, pulling into the parking lot just after 23:00. Loaded down with camera gear, I sprinted my way towards the summit, ascending the 400 meters in just over 30 minutes – completely soaked in sweat, despite the cold temperatures.

The direct light had faded as the sun moved behind the clouds, so I set up a time-lapse with my Fuji xt-1, then set about wandering around the summit looking for other compositions. This photo was taken a bit before 01:00, as the sun was reaching its lowest point in the sky, after this, sunrise would begin…

Camera Info:
Nikon D810
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
14mm
ISO 200
f 8
1/60 second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #132 – Unstad Midnight Sun

Midnight sun over Unstad beach, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Waiting for midnight over Unstad, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 5, 2015. 23:28

I addition to a few last photos from my Seasons on Lofoten – Summer eBook, I was also already planing one of the next books, about the beaches of Lofoten. But beyond merely capturing the beaches from sea level, I was also looking to photograph them from above. Unstad beach was the 2nd hike I made, up to the summit of Nonstind.

I started the evening much earlier, with some nice evening light shining in over the bay. But as time passed, I was quite ready to leave the mountain yet, so I headed up a bit further. Somewhere along the ridge there was this nice overlook, which I reached just as the sun emerged for a few minutes from the otherwise mostly cloudy sky.

Camera Info:
Nikon D810
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
32mm
ISO 100
f 9
1/100 second
WB Dayligh

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Friday Photo #131 – Myrland Summer

Myrland, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Midnight light and summer fields, Myrland, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 6, 2015. 23:56

Sleep in near impossible for a photographer on Lofoten in Summer, more so if the light is good. After a couple consecutive days in the mountains, I was feeling a bit lazy and looking for something coastal to photograph.

I had been out to Myrland earlier in the evening, with some nice light on this field and barn – which is the shot that is the cover of my Seasons on Lofoten – Summer eBook. After that, I drove back down the road to Storsandnes and found a place to park for the night.  But as I finished dinner and the hours passes, I wasn’t content with the scene in front of me, the sea just wasn’t calm or stormy enough. Before heading off the another beach, I decided just to checkout Myrland one last time. The light was better than before!

I arrived a few minutes before midnight, as the sun was breaking through some clouds. The mountains had a wonderful warm light shining on them and the wind was still quite calm.  I knelt down in the field just on the edges of the flowers and got completely wet from the soggy ground, but no matter when the light is nice.

Normally I don’t photograph such rural scenes very often, but somehow, this photo says ’summer on Lofoten’ to me and is one of my favorite images from this past trip.

Camera Info:
Nikon D810
Nikon 70-200mm f/4
70mm
ISO 250
f 5
1/125 second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #130 – Hustind Winter

Hustind Winter Hike, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Climbing Hustind in winter, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  February 21, 2015.  13:18

Hustind is one of those peaks that I’ve driven by dozens of times, always thinking I need to hike it sometime, yet always pass it by for some other objective.  Finally, on a stormy February day after my friend Till joined me from Norway, we figured the peak would be a good warmup for things to come.

As we ascended towards the summit, we were under constant threat of the next wave of snow approaching from the south.  The higher we got, the closer the clouds.  But even then, a faint sun would break through from time to time, adding a bit of contrast to the otherwise cold and barren landscape.

One on the summit, the snow arrived within a few minutes and we had to descent in a near total whiteout, luckily with our footprints to follow…

Camera Info:
Nikon D810
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
16mm
ISO 250
f 8
1/500 second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #129 – Ryten Winter Hike

Winter HIking Ryten, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Winter hiking towards Ryten at Dawn, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. January 31, 2015.  10:15

Though the forecast showed calm winds, I could tell the clouds were moving across the mountain peaks a bit faster than I wanted.  Even so, I tried to be optimistic about things and packed up my camping gear for the night.  The goal: A night camping near the summit of Ryten.

A short while into the hike and after the first little climb I rounded a corner and saw the magnificent light of the sun shining across the snow through a hole in the clouds.  Luckily, the light lasted longer than I expected and I was able to capture a few different compositions.  I think this image captures the mood of the day quite well.

Later, upon reaching the top Ryten, the wind was so strong that I could barely stand up or talk. The plans for camping were obviously off, so we headed back to the car. I wish I would have carried a lighter backpack all day, but good exercise I guess!

Camera Info:
Nikon D810
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
24mm
ISO 250
f 8
1/160 second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #128 – Hoven Winter View

Hoven, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Winter view from Hoven, Gimsøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  January 21, 2015.  11:53

With another one of mid January’s fantastic winter days, and the day after I hiked up Offersøykammen, I found myself a bit bored again, so I headed up Hoven, a small mountain on Gimsøy.

Luckily, I again had a few footprints in the snow to follow, taking away any difficulties in winter navigation. Though even in winter, Hoven is a relatively straight forward and simple hike, it’s always nicer to have a path to follow, if only to save on time.

By the time I reached the summit I was down to a t-shirt – so much for arctic circle in the heart of winter!  But a moderate breeze was blowing, so I quickly returned to a down jacket once I stopped moving and started shooting.

The southern sky, with the noon sun low on the horizon was glowing a bright orange.  At this time of year, the sun is so low in the sky that only southern facing aspects of the islands receive any direct sunlight, and that’s only if their not blocked by any mountains.

I liked the reflection in the water below, and the contrast between the cool blues of the snow and the warm sky.

Camera Info:
Nikon D810
Nikon 70-200mm f/4
130mm
ISO 160
f 9
1/125 second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #127 – Himmeltindan Winter Sunrise

Vikvatnet winter, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Winter sunrise over Vikvatnet and Himmeltindan, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  January 27, 2015.  10:06

A somewhat mild winter, temperature wise, left many of Lofoten’s lakes still unfrozen or only partially frozen at the end of January.  Lakes that I had stood in the middle of at the same time in previous years were now no-go zones, unless I was looking for a cold swim.

But in this gentle balance of freezing and thawing, unique patters and shapes can form which give a bit of detail to a scene.  In this case, there was a rock just beneath the thin layer of lake ice which kept the nights snow from melting.

The snow circle was a few meters into the lake.  I tried to get as close as possible, and still being close to the shore, the water wasn’t that deep, but I didn’t want to risk breaking through.  So I pushed my camera and tripod out as far as my arms could reach, the ice making creaking sounds with every movement, so I could get something of a decent composition.

Camera Info:
Nikon D810
Nikon 24mm f3.5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 125
f 11
1/13 seconds
WB Daylight
2 images – top, bottom

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Friday Photo #126 – Storsandnes Twilight

Storsandnes beach in winter, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Winter twilight at Storsandnes beach, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  January 20, 2015.  14:35

I had shot Storsandnes in fantastic light at dusk on the previous evening, yet as the light began to fade on this day, something drew me back here again.

The light was similar to the previous afternoon with the soft pinks and blues as the earth’s shadow passes through the sky prior to the arrival of night.  But there were some gently moving clouds beginning to appear, something to add balance to the sky.

Though this image is fairly similar to several others that I have taken at Storsandnes, there is something more interesting here than in any of the others.  I’m not sure if it’s the simplicity of the composition or the subtleness of the color, but it is one of my favorite images from the winter of 2015.

Camera Info:
Nikon D810
Nikon 4mm f/3.5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 31
f 13
90 seconds
WB Daylight
6 stop neutral density filter

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Friday Photo #125 – Offerøykammen Winter View

Offersoykammen in winter, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Winter view from summit of Offersøykammen, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  January 20, 2015. 12:01

The fine weather of mid January 2015 held on for a few more days after my time guiding for Muench Photography Workshops.  After Picking up my rental car in Stamsund, I didn’t really know what else to do than go for a short hike.

There was lots of fresh snow around and my snowshoes wouldn’t arrive for a few more days, so I had to pick something easy and familiar – Offersøykammen seemed like a good fit. Luckily a couple people had gone up the route before me – it’s a popular peak with the locals – so I didn’t have to do any route finding and thus made pretty good time as I climbed towards the summit.

The winds picked up a bit as I reached the top a little before noon.  The low winter sun, barely rising over Skottind to the south cast a nice orange/pink glow across the wind carved snow of summit.

Camera Info:
Nikon D810
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
14mm
ISO 200
f 11
1/100 seconds
WB Daylight

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