Friday Photo | 68 North

Friday Photo #83 – Sea And Sky

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

August 8, 2014/0 Comments/by Cody

Friday Photo, Moskenesøya, Summer

Friday Photo #82 – Kjerringa Rain

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

August 1, 2014/0 Comments/by Cody

Friday Photo, Moskenesøya, Spring

Friday Photo #81 – Ryten And Kvalvika

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

July 25, 2014/0 Comments/by Cody

Friday Photo, Moskenesøya, Summer

Friday Photo #80 – Bunes Beach From Helvetestinden

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

July 18, 2014/0 Comments/by Cody

Friday Photo, Moskenesøya, Summer

Friday Photo #79 – Hermannsdalstind Storm

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

July 11, 2014/0 Comments/by Cody

Friday Photo, Vestvågøya, Winter

Friday Photo #78 – Ice Puzzle

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

July 4, 2014/0 Comments/by Cody

Friday Photo, Moskenesøya, Winter

Friday Photo #77 – Coastal Twilight

Photo: Winter coastal twilight, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. February 5, 2014. 15:48

A weird series of clouds had hung over the islands the entire day. While some interesting texture formed from time to time, I spent most of the day doing my best to fight of boredom. In this effort I took to wandering around the rocks on the inner coast of Moskenesøy; sometimes taking photos and sometimes just jumping around and climbing up stuff.

With the arrival of late afternoon a bit of color finally began to appear in the sky. I had wandered down to this part of the coast earlier in the day and so returned once again as the light began to fade and I could open up the shutter for a couple minutes to smooth out the otherwise choppy water of the Vestfjord.

While I like the image well enough, it lacks a sense of place for me. There is nothing here that says ‘Lofoten,’ or even ‘Winter’ for that matter. I would generally like to give a better sense of place to an individual image. But when I view it with the whole of my work from February, it helps tell a little more of the story about the islands.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24mm f/3.5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 50
f 16
151 seconds
WB Daylight
2 images – top, bottom
6 stop B+W ND filter

June 27, 2014/0 Comments/by Cody

Friday Photo, Vestvågøya, Winter

Friday Photo #76 – Utakleiv Beach Winter

Photo: Dusting of snow covers Utakleiv beach, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. February 9, 2014. 11:41

Walking out of the hostel in the early morning hours it was an unexpected surprise to find a light dusting of snow had fallen overnight; an otherwise rare event during my previous 9 days on Lofoten thus far. We chased the promise of a nice sunrise to another location, which failed to appear, before making our way towards Haukland and Utakleiv. Being a Sunday, I was eager to get to the beaches before the snow was filled with footprints from other photographers and locals on their afternoon walks – do you know how much damage a single dog can do to an otherwise pristine beach? Some might say, ‘just photoshop out the footprints.’ But I don’t agree with that. Better to come back another day and try again.

With luck, and it being nearly noon, no one had thus far decided to walk along Utakleiv beach, or at least not the majority of it. So I was pleasantly surprised to come across some untouched sections of beach to photograph.

Had there been no snow on the beach, I probably would not have taken this image. The light is quite flat and I already have a decent collection of images from Utakleiv that I’ve taken over the years. But with a little snow, I had the opportunity to produce something somewhat new in the otherwise familiar setting.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24mm f/3.5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 50
f 13
13 seconds
WB Daylight
2 images – top, bottom

June 20, 2014/0 Comments/by Cody

Friday Photo, Vestvågøya, Winter

Friday Photo #75 – Unstad Beach

Photo: Dark sky over Unstad beach, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. February 10, 2014. 10:30

Heavy clouds greeted the arrival of dawn and it was obvious that there would be no colour to chase. Back to bed for a little more sleep, as if more sleep is needed in the long nights of winter. Later, we slowly made our way to Unstad beach to see what we could find.

A lone surfer was out, the head-high turquoise waves all to himself; if only I had had a lens longer than 85mm with me. The beach was otherwise empty as I made my way down among the rocks and to the tide line. What a change of scene from my pervious visit a week prior, where I was hardly able to stand in the gale force winds. This day was how I like it, calm and gentle.

While clouds still filled the sky from horizon to horizon, the light had an eerie clarity to it, something more than the drab grey which can be all to present. There was sharpness and contrast with a softness and depth as the clouds traveled across the sky.

Though I have spent hours on this beach, I contented myself with a few more before moving on the see how the frozen Utdalsvatnet would appear – not that interesting as it turned out.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24mm f/3.5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 50
f 11
15 seconds
WB Daylight
2 images – top, bottom
6 stop B+W ND filter

June 13, 2014/0 Comments/by Cody

Flakstadøya, Friday Photo, Winter

Friday Photo #74 – Myrland Beach

Photo: Winter dawn at Myrland beach, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. February 2, 2014. 09:14

I still hadn’t quite gotten my timings quite right, but I was expecting to see a glow beginning to appear on the horizon as I lifted my head from the sleeping bag. Instead, my first morning on Lofoten arrived in the swirling darkness of snow. Snow! I knew the islands were having a lean year thus far, so it was an unexpected, and un-forcasted, surprise after arriving on the islands the previous afternoon. I did not know it at the time, but in 6 weeks on Lofoten this year (2014), this would be one of the rare times I saw snow fall.

I left Utakleiv, where I had spent the night sleeping in my rental car and drove into the morning darkness. I was not sure how big of a storm I was in, but by the direction of the wind, I figured Myrland or Storsandnes beaches would be the best locations to shoot away from the wind if the storm continued past sunrise. Pulling up at Storsandnes I could see nothing but black beyond the glow of my headlights. Time for breakfast I guess.

After an hour the snow began to lighten and I could begin to see something of a horizon, dark and grey, emerging from the distance. I headed to Myrland and negotiated the icy trail down to the beach just as the last snowflakes were beginning to clear.

The beach was covered in a delicate layer of snow, barely cold enough to keep from melting. An incoming tide of gentle waves was washing against the snow line as the world grew brighter while snow covered rocks formed white islands in the blue sea.

I feel there is alway a delicate balance for snow covered beaches: you want an incoming tide at dawn after an overnight coating of snow. If the tide had been high when the snow fell, then it leaves too much of a transition between the snow line and the water line. This morning I was lucky, and found a near perfect balance of conditions.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24mm f/3.5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 160
f 8
30 seconds
WB Daylight
2 images – top, bottom

June 6, 2014/0 Comments/by Cody

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