Friday Photo #542 – Over Unstad Beach

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Photo: Evening view over Unstad beach, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. May 29, 2022. 22:29

With no darkness for the next 2 months, May is the beginning of my midnight sun hiking season. I typically don’t camp too much at this time of year unless I’m heading to a more distant location. Otherwise, I find it easier just to pick a location, start walking, then return home sometime in the early morning hours. And then hope my neighbour doesn’t knock on my door at 09:00!

This evening I actually had no plan. First I headed up Saupstadtind, then over to (lower) Skrådalstind, and then I just wandered along winding sheep trails until I was over Unstad. I’ve hiked the mountains in the background of the image numerous times, but this was my first time on this side of the valley. And I think overall, this is an infrequently visited part of Lofoten. I attempted a bit of a shortcut on the way down, but it turned into something of a bushwhack at times.

With June just a few days away in this image, you can see the difference between the already green fields of the valley vs. the still relatively brown mountains rising above. The transition from winter to spring to summer is a gradual process on Lofoten; beginning at sea level and then rising higher up the mountains as time passes.

This image also shows the difference between Innmark, the green fields, and utmark, the mountains rising above. This is important in the regulations of Allemannsretten, which most people just think of as, ‘it’s free to camp where you want in Norway.’ This actually only applies to utmark. Though it is generally tolerated in many roadside areas and beaches, even if they are innmark. However, for Lofoten specifically, the increased pressure of tourism has seen more regulations and controls put in place in recent years. And there are even some calling for an end to Allemannsretten in the utmark. Only time will tell if these old traditions and freedoms still have a place in the modern world. But if everyone is respectful of the landscape, hopefully future generations can still enjoy the right to roam!

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon Z7 II
Nikon 14-30mm f/4
21mm
ISO 100
f 8
1/60 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #540 – May Grey

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Photo: Mountain birch tree in grey clouds on Haugheia, May 10, 2023. 14:53

May is usually the start of sunset-to-sunrise season of Lofoten, and I had actually already written an article about that for this weeks post. However, May this year has been on the grey side and there hasn’t been too much in the way of colourful nights lately. Even when the sky has been clear overhead, there’s oven been a layer of cloud over the northern horizon, which largely blocks any color which might occur.

The last few days have actually felt like cold summer days, with a mild temperature around 10˚c, still air, and low, misty clouds concealing the peaks. Even on a Wednesday hike up the low ridge of Haugheia for a bit of exercise, clouds were blowing across the summit forest leaving me wanting around in a sea of grey. Although for the wind twisted mountain birch grove at the summit, I actually like this type of low visibility and it removes the distractions of the background or sky and allows more of an emphasis on the shapes of the trees. Even better is when this occurs in winter.

I only shot a couple images on this hike as I often prefer the shoot the trees from a low vantage point, but the flip screen on my camera stopped working a couple months ago, and I’m too lazy to otherwise have to lie on the ground for some trees I’ve already shot dozens of times. One difficulty with living in Lofoten is that any sort of equipment repair takes a long time! So I would like to fix my camera soon, but I also can’t be without one for a month or more in the height of summer…

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon Z7 II
Nikon 24-120 f/4
110mm
ISO 100
f 8
1/250 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #539 – Between Seasons

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Photo: Dark clouds over Bulitind from Smordalskammen, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. May 1, 2023. 16:36

It is that time of year that locals often call false spring, winter part 3-4-5, the May summer tire club, and various other jokes about the weather. After a few ‘warm’ days in April it’s easy to think that the trend will continue. But almost reliably, the the temperature will drop as winter fights to hold on a little longer. This last week has been a perfect example of that weather as the wind shifted north and snow flurries have been passing over the islands, with Wednesday’s temperature dropping down to -4.8˚c and leaving my backyard and surrounding fields with a layer of snow.

Once the sun returns however, the snow quickly melts until the next wave of snow passes. Winter takes over the shadows while the sun brings spring. But overall, the snow is slowly melting away and the coastal farmlands are beginning to turn green. I kinda lost track of time a bit this week noticing a few flowers on the side of the road and thinking it was an early spring. Until I remember that it was already a few days into May! So the pace of ‘the greenening’ (not a real word, but sounds cool) of the land seems normal this year.

On a May day hike in the cold blustery wind on Smordalskammen a small recent dusting of snow survived in a few places while in more exposed areas it had melted, creating these cool patterns across the land. The sun was high over Bulitind, but luckily the clouds concealed it from time to time for a slightly more balanced image.

Loosing track of time again while planning where to hike today, I suddenly realised that sunset is now at 22:20. I always find it hard to image that it’s still snowing but the days are already longer than midsummer in Berlin or London, for example. Winter weather but summer light. The midnight sun is now only 3 weeks away!

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon Z7 II
Nikon 14-30mm f/4
14mm
ISO 100
f 8
1/1000 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #538 – Misty April Mountains

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Photo: Mountains emerge from misty clouds, Eltofttuva, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. April 24, 2022. 14:19

Last week I was somewhat optimistic that it would be an early start to barbecue season this year. But unfortunately, what I thought would be a warm April has cooled again and a layer of snow was once again sitting in my yard over the past weekend. So I think I’ll have to wait a little longer this year. But that is almost always Lofoten at this time of year – sitting in a limbo of not-winter and not-summer. Up north they are still getting good ski days in the mountains, while down south the land is already turning green. On Lofoten, we just wait.

I actually haven’t been out shooting too much lately. There has been some nice light, but I’m often stuck on the computer most of the day and then the thought of sitting up on a mountain in the cold wind waiting for sunset at 21:45 turns me a bit lazy. Though I guess I probably need to get the legs moving soon in preparation for summer, as even after my winter photo workshop season ended, I only managed a few days on skis before the snow melted away. But if I have to be stuck on the computer, I’d rather it be now than during the summer.

Another reason is that my photographic focus isn’t on Lofoten at the moment. In 2020 I had meant to spend most of my time hiking and photographing in the eastern parts of Lofoten for a new ebook companion to my West Lofoten Hikes ebook. But it is actually a lot of driving for me to get to the eastern parts of Lofoten, and with everything surrounding Corona, I had to put that project on the shelf for a while as I simply couldn’t afford the driving required.

But as the world normalised again, I found I had a new interest, which is my current ongoing ebook project. This one is my most ambitious one to date and I’ve already put in a few weeks on it during the last couple years. If I am lucky I might finish up most of the photography by this autumn and the writing over winter. I guess I found it easier, and more interesting, to take a longer trip a bit further to new places, than just driving around in circles over Lofoten all summer. And there are so many beautiful regions in Norway, that I sometimes wonder how they are so overlooked. I guess it’s just branding and name recognition, like any other commercial product. I could spend 10 lifetimes just trying to photograph Norway.

So, with my mind on big plans for other parts of Norway, I’m a bit lazy about day to day photography on Lofoten without having a project to work on. Though the good news is that I still have a backlog of hikes that I’ve never added to the website for some reason. Mostly this will be some mountains on Vestvågøy which I don’t have anywhere else to use at the moment, and a few ones from West Lofoten Hikes ebook that never made it online. Though some of those hikes in that will remain only in the ebook for the time being.

This week’s photo is from one of those new hikes on the website, taken on a misty and rainy April hike to Eltofttuva – hiking guide here. I think I’ve probably skied from the summit of Eltofttuva 10x more than I’ve hiked it, but as a fairly easy short hike just east of Leknes, I still usually make a couple trips a year, mostly for a bit of afternoon exercise with friends.

On this day, we were mostly in thick grey clouds and minimal visibility. I could see on the radar that the rain would (mostly) pass shortly after arriving at the summit, so we waited around a bit until I could at least see some distant peaks begin to emerge. I actually think this shot came out quite nice for what the day looked like. My only complaint would be the unfortunate location of the power lines running though the bottom of the frame. But nothing I can do about that…

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon Z7 II
Nikon 24-200 f/4-6.3
175mm
ISO 100
f 8
1/250 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #537 – Spring Thaw

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Photo: Spring mountain reflections in Selfjord, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. April 17, 2023. 10:17

Some years the weather seems to switch as quickly as if one is turning a light off and on. What was an unseasonably cold March has now (mostly) turned into a sunny and warm April, and now finally a bit of rain. The snow which I thought would last well into May seems to be melting away quite quickly, especially in western Lofoten, and many of the coastal mountains below 500 meters are already snow free. Though as I write this, the weekend’s weather is supposed to be cold with the chance for some fresh snow – so don’t change to those summer tires just yet!

I’ve probably written a dozen times before that I always find this an odd time of year for my photography. The clean beauty of winter is over and I know the lush greens and flower fields of summer are only a few weeks away. April and early May on Lofoten is often just a waiting period for me – which is needed, as I have a ton of computer work needed to finish up ongoing projects and prepare for new ones during summer. But I also find it frustrating, as I enjoy the light of this time of year and the nights get brighter and the midnight sun approaches. So I find myself inspired by the light, but bored by the brown and tired landscape itself.

Today’s image is a rare calm moment in Selfjord, taken from the side of the road. I was on the way to Reine to attend a conference, but out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw something in the water. The back story to this is that there have been some humpback whales in the area of the last few weeks. They were first spotted in Svolvær harbor at the end of March. I saw them briefly in stormy water near Reinehalsen as I was headed to Moskenes to catch the ferry before easter, and then over easter they spent several days swimming around Hamnøy and Sakrisøy. So a few days after they had last been spotted, I thought maybe I was lucky and there they were!

So I quickly pulled over and scanned the fjord. Nothing. It was, however, a quite nice reflection, so I took a few quick snapshots before continuing on my way to Reine for the day. Had it not been for the possible attempt at whale watching, I most likely would have just driven by without stopping.

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon Z7 II
Nikon 24-120mm f/4
50mm
ISO 100
f 8
1/320 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #489 – Almost Midnight

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Almost Midnight - Friday Photo #489

Photo: Four minutes til midnight – spring twilight over hornleva, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. May 19, 2022. 23:56

After what has so far been a depressingly cold and grey May the clouds finally broke on Wednesday afternoon for 2 days of sunshine and 2 nights of twilight. My first priorities yesterday evening was getting bbq season under way again, but afterwards I went for a wander around the neighbourhood to see what I could find.

It has been a little frustrating this year to know what light I’ve been missing behind all the grey skies – and it is back to clouds again already as I write this on Friday afternoon. It is also a bit shocking to suddenly realise how light the midnight sky has become. Usually its sort of a gradual process that occurs over the weeks of late April to mid May. But with such terrible weather, the evenings have been unusually dark most nights. And next week the midnight sun will officially start, so hopefully the weather improves as Lofoten heads into summer.

Overall, the spring feels a little slow to arrive this year judging by the fields outside my house, which were already filling with wildflowers by now. Though it is always a little hard to estimate the change of seasons on Lofoten, as just after the last 2 days of sun, the landscape is noticeable greener and many more trees have their first leaves. So Lofoten can ‘turn green’ quite quickly at this time of year. So by next week, Lofoten could already look like full summer, if the weather cooperates…

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon Z7 II
Nikon 14-30 f/4
30mm
ISO 64
f 11
13 seconds
WB Daylight
6 stop ND filter

Friday Photo #488 – Beach Seaweed

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Photo: Seaweed covered beach after a week of stormy May weather, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. May 11, 2022. 22:33

Today’s photo is an intentionally ‘ugly’ one. It has been a fairly stormy, cold and rainy May this year with a seemingly near constant north wind blowing across the islands and rough seas. In these types of conditions, seaweed is ripped from the coastline and deposited on the beaches across Lofoten, leaving them in a somewhat ugly and messy state. It is not a good time for beach photography at the moment.

Some areas are affected more than others, and there’s also the affect of wind, tides, waves, and more. Here, at Myrland beach, there’s actually not too much. Down the road at Storsandnes is much worse, or over at Unstad, where the seaweed can often pile 1-2 meters high, forming ‘seaweed mountains’ along the beach.

It will take some time now, and some bigger waves to clean up the beaches so they are in better photographic form. But it looks like the grey May weather will continue for a while longer, so not quite beach weather at the moment anyhow. Though it is somewhat frustrating, as the twilight nights of this time of year can bring some of the best light, but for weeks now, the northern horizon has had a constant layer of clouds blocking out the sun well before sunset, even if other parts of the sky remain somewhat clear. Hopefully better conditions arrive soon…

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon Z7 II
Nikon 14-30 f/4
14mm
ISO 31
f 11
10 seconds
WB Daylight
6 stop ND filter

Friday Photo #487 – Light And Shadow

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Photo: Long shadows fall over the peaks of Veggen, Mannen, and Himmeltidan on Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. May 3, 2022. 21:25

It has been a turbulent and stormy start to May this year and any short moment of sunlight was quickly erased in the next wave of passing snow or rain. In these weather conditions the northern horizon area is typically fully cloudy, the opposite of what is needed for nice sunsets. But in the hour or two before sunset, there can be interesting dances and light and shadow across the mountains of Lofoten.

With the midnight sun only a few weeks away, the sun is now setting in the hight northwest of the compass, casting its last light over the northern side of Lofoten. I actually find this time of year somewhat frustrating, as the sunsets are now quite late, about 22:30, but the sunrises not quite early enough, about 03:45. So its a little hard to find the motivation to go out at ‘night’ after having eaten dinner maybe around 19:00-20:00. I’m slowly starting to transition to ‘midnight sun time’ where I spend all night out in the mountains. But the nights are still a little too long at the moment, especially considering the stormy conditions of the last weeks.

Luckily, at this time of year the light almost comes to me, so its not too bad to be lazy. And while I’ve shot this scene dozens of times over the years, its still a nice one. Especially since its just taken from my office window. So I can be sitting here at the computer typing away and take a quick look out the window to see if anything interesting is happening. If so, a couple quick photos, then back to work. Though some days can be more distracting than others and I find it difficult to concentrate on writing. But no complaints about that…

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon Z7 II
Nikon 24-200 f/4-6.3
130mm
ISO 100
f 8
1/40 second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #486 – Return Of Winter

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Photo: Late April beach snow, Myrland, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. April 28, 2022. 23:25

Winter has returned to Lofoten! After a period of mild weather that saw most of the low level and a fair amount of high level snow melted away with the promise of an early spring, a cold north wind has brought snow showers across the Islands in the last days April.

By last weekend, I had finally managed to clear the last of the winter snow drifts out of my yard and even some of the trees were beginning to bud. And I spent the evenings on two separate hikes in mild weather, though Sunday was a bit on the rainy side, on snow free trails. However, the weather has now shifted and winter has returned. Lofoten’s landscape is once again while from sea to summit.

Last night I wandered down to the beach a little before midnight. The sun is only about 7˚ below the horizon at the moment, so as the clouds clear, the night is brighter and brighter with each passing week. I’m not sure where I put my headlamp last, but I won’t need it again until late August.

There has been enough snow that even some of the beaches are covered in white, which isn’t even a regular occurrence in winter these days anymore. I wasn’t looking to shoot much, more to just record the conditions for future memory. The tide was incoming and one large wave swept across the beach – ruining the snow in the composition I was shooing, but forming this interesting pattern across the now revealed sand. I actually found the clouds somewhat distracting, and competing against the rocks and other elements of the foreground, and the sky was clearer overhead, but in an awkward position for where I should put the horizon. I would have liked to have the melt pattern a bit more centered, but it ended in a rock that didn’t work for the composition, so this diagonal was kinda the best I could do, though it leaves quite a bit of blank space on the left side of the image. I suppose I could always crop in tighter…

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon Z7 II
Nikon 14-30mm f/4
14mm
ISO 100
f 9
8 seconds
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #485 – April Twilight

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Photo: The northern sky glowing at midnight in the white nights of spring, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. April 20, 2022. 00:35

Only a month after the spring equinox in March the nights of mid april are no longer fully dark. Though it can be somewhat deceptive just looking at the sunrise and sunset numbers themselves, which at the moment are about 04:50 and 21:15, which seem to afford plenty of time for darkness. But the arctic sun rotates on a much flatter orbit than lower latitudes, so even though it is below the horizon for 6-7 hours, it is not actually that far below. And with each passing week the sky will continue to brighten until the midnight sun arrives in just over a month. The sun moves fast here in the north!

Just after midnight I wandered down to the beach. Partly to have something to write about this week, but really hoping for a last aurora image of the season – which this year, is April 10th for me. Kind of an anticlimactic end this year compared to last year (friday Photo #433 ), when the sky was dancing every night until the very end. The weather and sun were not so cooperative this year it seems.

Now to look forward for the landscape to turn green over the next month and a summer in the mountains!

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon Z7 II
Nikon 14-30mm f/4
14mm
ISO 1600
f 4.5
3 seconds
WB Daylight