Friday Photo #81 – Ryten And Kvalvika

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hiker enjoying view of Kvalvika beach from near summit of Ryten, Moskenesoy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

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 #26 – Offersoykammen

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Silhouette of landscape photographer on summit of Offersoykammen with Flakstadoy in background, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Photographer at Sunset on Offersøykammen, Vestvågøya, Lofoten Islands, Norway. May 4, 2013. 20:36

[I’m barely squeaking in under this deadline this week. I should probably write these out a day or two in advance to be on the safe side…]

I’ve come the appreciate the small peak of Offersøykammen as a relatively easy spot to reach which provides the willing photographer with a number of possible compositions. The most dramatic of which is perhaps the view towards Flakstadøya, as the wall of mountains rise out of the turbulent waters of the Nappstraumen.

Never knowing exactly what the light might do, I always this it’s best to head up into the hills with a bit of extra time to spare. 10 days into this trip, and any sort of decent sunset had yet to materialize, no matter how brilliant the day, as a perpetual wall of cloud blocked the horizon.

And so the three of us found ourselves sitting on top of the mountain, in the freezing wind, for hours, waiting in hope for the arrival of some light. But alas, as the sun neared the horizon, the clouds took over and the light and color faded in another anticlimactic finish of the day. And so we headed down, slightly defeated, but better than having sat at another beach, again…

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 27-70 f 2.8
32mm
ISO 100
f 13
1/100 sec
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #24 – Bunes Beach Mountain Reflection

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Mountain peaks rise above Bunes beach in spring twilight light, Moskenesoy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Mountain reflection on Bunes Beach, Moskenesøya, Lofoten Islands.  Apri 29, 2013.  22:33

After only a few days on Lofoten with my my Aussie travel companions Adam and Rod, I had received the friendly nickname of ‘Captain Wetfoot,’ based upon my proven abilities to almost always end up in the water somehow.  This night shooting on Bunes beach would be no exception.

Shooting with at 24mm tilt-shift lens to end up with a square crop means I need to shoot at least 2 photos.  And with each photo having a 60 second exposure (+noise reduction) means I need to stand in the same place for at least 4 minutes.  The trick is to find the balance point where the highest tide will just barely reach you.  Too far from the sea and the foreground might be a bit dull.  Too close to the sea, and you’ll end up named Captain Wetfoot.

The wet feat I can deal with, especially with the size of the campfire I would build on my return.  But since I generally only carry a light tripod, any incoming waves will tend to shake the tripod or sink the legs into the sand ever so slightly, which is often enough to add blur to the scene.  Thus I sit there anxiously as the seconds tick by on my watch, hoping the water gets close, but not too close.  If the wave is small, no problem.  But if I’m sent running halfway through the second shot, it means I have to start all over again.  So 4 minutes easily turns into a half hour or more for a single photo.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24mm f/3.5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 100
f 11
61 sec
WB Daylight
2 images – top/bottom

Friday Photo #23 – Storsandnes Beach Sunset

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Colorful sunset from Storsandnes Beach, Flakstadoy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Storsandnes beach sunset.  May 8, 2013.  22:39

After nearly two weeks of spring on Lofoten, including some days of fine and settled weather, this was the first night in which any color arrived.  But unfortunately for me, this was also my last night on the islands for this trip.

Overall, the spring had been on the cold side, but there was a good amount of days with fairly settled weather. Unfortunately though, there seemed to be a perpetual bank of cloud that hung on the northwest horizon, so no matter how much potential for nice light the evening might give, the color would eventually fade away into some dull blueish gray tones as the sun neared the horizon.  Frustrating to say the least.

But finally on my last night on the islands, conditions aligned themselves for a bit of color.  Now I’m not really a ‘sunset’ shooter, that is to say I prefer other, more subtle lighting conditions (usually something dramatic and stormy), but I do appreciate a bit of colour and and then.  And so what seems to be something of a common occurrence for me on Lofoten, the last day always offers me something special.  Perhaps so I leave the islands on a high point and with an eagerness to return; which of course I will, no doubt…

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24mm f/3.5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 50
f 11
20 sec
WB Daylight
2 images – top/bottom

Friday Photo #22 – Bunes Beach Camping

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campfire at Bunes Beach, Moskenesoy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Driftwood campfire at Bunes Beach, Moskenesøya, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  April 30, 2013.  01:46

As the twilight nights of late April and early May arrive on Lofoten, exhaustion and insomnia become constant companions for the landscape photographer.  And if you’re wanting a few hours around a campfire, it needs to wait for the few hours between sunrise and sunset, an all to late in my opinion.  But after an afternoon of scouring the beach for driftwood, and then shooting until well past midnight, an hour or so by a fire is a welcomed reward.

I’ve written before that Spring, in the normal meaning of the word doesn’t really exist on Lofoten.  It is more of a ‘brown period,’ between the melting of the snow on the lower elevations and the return of green, in mid May.  But over these few weeks, the nights disappear in their entirety and suddenly you will find yourself surrounded by Summer.

With a couple Australian landscape photographers as my companions (I’ll write more on this later), I took the opportunity of a stable weather forecast to head out to Bunes beach and camp for a night.  I was still exhausted from my nearly 40 hours of travel to the islands, having arrived just a few days prior, so I think I slept most of the afternoon away as well, but as the evening came, it was time to head out for some photography.

It wasn’t until after 01:00 am that we were finally back at the tents and finally finished with the night.  Of course I can never let a campfire go to waste as a photo opportunity as well…

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24mm f/3.5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 200
f 5.6
5 sec
WB Daylight
2 images – top/bottom