Friday Photo #284 – Gimsøy Summer

, ,

Gimsøy Summer - Friday Photo #284

Photo: 01:00 am summer light over Gimsøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 12, 2017. 01:04

I have previously posted an image from this fanstastic June night – Friday Photo ###. That one was looking directly into the sun. This is just a few meters away, looking across the soft pastel light that was falling over the landscape. As much as the northern lights keep me up late in winter, that can involve a bit of suffering at times. In summer, under the midnight sun, it is generally just pure joy. Lofoten really is a land for insomniacs!

While the sun had been shining bright and strong a little while earlier, it eventually sunk into some clouds lower on the horizon. The light was still warm, but now with a gentle softness. Nights like this are why I moved here, and with as many reasons as there are to visit at other times of the year, a warm summer night under the midnight sun is simply wonderful. Something that everyone should experience once.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
17mm
ISO 80
f 11
1/6 second
WB Daylight

/1 Comment/by

Friday Photo #283 – Summer Mood

, ,

Cotton Grass - Friday Photo #283

Photo: Cottongrass and evening light, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 12, 2017. 22:58

Cottongrass is a familiar plant in the summer mountains of Lofoten. It´s also a good marker of where not to put a tent!

Wandering around in the hilly landscape of Yttersandheia one June evening, the backlit ´cotton´ with the low evening sun caught my eye. The sky was a bit boring anyhow, and I was having trouble finding a nice composition. So I just decided to lay on the ground and look for something abstract.

Nothing special here, just a nice summer mood…

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 70-200mm f/4
200mm
ISO 125
f 5.6
1/500 second
WB Daylight

/0 Comments/by

Friday Photo #282 – June Mountain Snow

, ,

June Mountain Snow - Friday Photo #282

Photo: June mountain snow on Munken, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 10, 2016. 21:51

It´s June and the trails of Lofoten will soon be filling up with hikers. And while the coast of Lofoten is green and beginning to fill with flowers, winter is still holding on in the higher mountains of Lofoten, especially in the more inland area. So while many trails will begin to be snow free, particularly anything that follows a ridge or is in close proximity of the sea, snow may still stop access, especially without proper equipment, on some mountains.

Here, looking towards Munken, which rises to nearly 800 meters, there is still significant snow coverage across much of the route. Will this stop you from getting to the top? Possibly. And better to be safe if unsure.

And beyond snow potentially blocking a route, June is an elevated period for rockfall as the mountains begin to thaw and fall apart. It is generally best to avoid any trails which travel under exposed cliffs.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
38mm
ISO 100
f 11
1/80 seconds
WB Daylight

/0 Comments/by

Friday Photo #266 – Reine

, ,

Reine Winter - Friday Photo #266

Photo: Olstind rises above the frozen shoreline, Reine, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. January 22, 2018. 09:50

It is not often that I take photos in Reine anymore. But occasionally, and usually when I’m guiding a workshop, I’ll come across some nice conditions in which it’s worth pulling out the camera. After several days in the area this january with an annoying south wind keeping the bay reflection-less, conditions finally calmed.

After some decent snow, and then rain which washed much of it away, it was almost completely dry during the 2nd half of January this year. But the dry conditions also brought a freezing cold to Lofoten, and so even without snow, we had ice.

As the tide receded, the frozen sections of the shoreline waters were left to fall and break across the rocks. Without this element as a foreground, I probably wouldn’t have shot this scene – even though the twilight was nice enough itself! But the this layer of ice helps hide what would be, for me, the overly messy rocks and seaweed. I also shot another composition with just Olstind’s reflection in the water, but I like this version better, as it gives a better sense of place to the image.

Camera Info:
Nikon D810
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
29mm
ISO 100
f 10
.5 second
WB Daylight

/0 Comments/by

Friday Photo #245- Midnight Glow

, ,

Midnight Glow - Friday Photo #245

Photo: Midnight sun shines between mountain peaks, Helvetestind, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 14, 2017. 00:17

On my second trip to Helvetestind in two weeks, Conditions were totally different on this night. A heavy fog was blowing in from the north. Bunes beach has been completely concealed and was invisible from above.

As we descended at midnight, I could see this glow of light shining between Mereflesstind and Kråkhammartind over Kirkefjord. I light layer of fog was blowing in, glowing in the low light of the midnight sun.

I found a place along the ridge that I though gave a nice separation to the layers of mountains ahead of me. Rather than shooting wide, I switched to my 70-200 so I could focus just on the light coming from behind the mountains.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 70-200mm f/4
120mm
ISO 200
f 9
1/400 second
WB Daylight

/0 Comments/by

Friday Photo #244 – Olstind Twilight

, ,

Olstind - Friday Photo #244

Photo: Olstind mountain peak reflects in fjord, Sakrisøy, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 14, 2017. 02:11

My fried Olaf dropped my tour group off at Sakrisøy after a midnight trip up Helvetestind – my second time to the summit in two weeks.

A sea fog had been covering all the land to the north but back on the south side, the world was calm. Tired after a long day, we decided one more shot was needed.

I’ve photographed Olstind hundreds of times by now for almost every possible angle. But it is still a peak which I never grow tired of. And so I pulled out my camera and tripod for yet another photo of this iconic mountain.

I like the softness of the light here. It was ‘sunrise’ but it doesn’t really appear so. If the fjord was not perfectly calm, perhaps I wouldn’t have taken the image. But it was so quiet out, just us standing at the edge of the sea – and a few birds making some noise in the distance.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
24mm
ISO 200
f 10
1/80 second
WB Daylight

/0 Comments/by

Friday Photo #243 – Bunes View

, ,

Bunes Beach - Friday Photo #243

Photo: View over Bunes beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. July 21, 2017. 22:08

Another weekend in the west. The original plan had been a somewhat ambitious climb above Vindstad. But as we made the first moves up the route, it was evident that it was more than we bargained for on this day – something to come back to in early winter when the grass is frozen and we can use ice tools.

Not wanting to head back to camp totally defeated, we headed towards some unknown peak on the opposite side of the ridge. And what a view it turned out to be! I had never even heard the name of this mountain before, nor even given the slightest thought to hiking it, it is not the easiest place to reach though. But wow.

A golden eagle flew from the summit as I made the final approach up the rocky steps.

Heading down, we decided to stay on the ridge. Where this view is from. Always looking forward to the future, I spotted a few places where a tent might be possible. This view with northern lights above!

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
16mm
ISO 125
f 10
1/40 second
WB Daylight

/1 Comment/by

Friday Photo #242 – Kirkefjord

, ,

Kirkefjord - Friday Photo #242

Photo: Kirkefjord clouds, Rostad, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. July 16, 2017. 19:39

The rain was pounding my windshield as I headed west towards Reine. We had made plans to borrow a friend’s boat and to do a bit of exploring in the fjord, but I wasn’t very optimistic.

The rain was still falling as I pulled the boat to shore and figured out how to work everything. Good I brought my rain clothes! From Reine we headed towards Rostad, a small village on the east side of the fjord. Despite all my time on Lofoten, I had never been there before.

We moored the boat at the only empty spot on a small pier. But as we walked towards the village, we met someone on the balcony of a house who informed us that we shouldn’t park there, as another boat was coming. Luckily, our fiend in Reine had told us to say hello to a friend in Rostad, the man we were speaking to. Suddenly it became okay for us to leave the boat, and he could move it if necessary. Good to know the right people!

There are several mountains out of Rostad that have been on my ‘to do’ list for some time. However, as waves of rain still passed us, we decided just for a bit of easy exploring.

Eventually we made out way up to the lake below Segltind, seeing if there might be a possible route of from this side. The hours grow long and it was time to return to Reine. Back in Rostad, The clouds were blowing over the peaks above Kirkefjord. I walked out on some rocks and took a final image for the day.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24-70mm f/4
62mm
ISO 50
f 16
30 seconds
WB Daylight
10 stop B+W ND filter

/0 Comments/by

Friday Photo #241 – Summer Flowers

, ,

Summer Flowers - Friday Photo #241

Photo: Field of summer flowers, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. July 6, 2017. 14:37

From mid June until early July the fields of Lofoten are filled with endless color of an infinite amount of flowers. Even the farm fields, such as this, can provide endless photo opportunities. But one has be be quick.

Farming on Lofoten is mostly simple: Let your field grow, cut it, let it grow again, cut it again. For the first growth, beginning in late May, the fields explode with color. But as the flowers peak, soon the farmers will bright out the mowers and cut everything to the ground to store for the winter.

I had driven past this field two days prior, and all was fine. Driving past on this day, in early July, the farmer had already partially cut the field. Knowing the opportunity would probably not survive the following day, I stopped for a quick photo. Maybe not the best light, but this is what Lofoten looks like at its peak: fields of gold.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 70-200mm f/4
125mm
ISO 100
f 5.6
1/500 second
WB Daylight

/0 Comments/by

Friday Photo #240 – Storskiva Camping

, ,

Storskiva - Friday Photo #240

Photo: Camping on the summit of Storskiva, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. July 22, 2017. 23:57

After 239 previous Friday photo posts, I can’t always remember what I have written previously, so perhaps this might be a bit of a repetition, or maybe something new.

I like to camp on the summit of mountains because I know that I’m a bit lazy. When I tell this to others, they say sleeping on mountains is more work than just hiking. But to me, its not.

I want to get the best light when on my mountain trips. But I also like my sleep. So when camping on summits, while maybe a bit more work to get there, once at the top, life just becomes a waiting game. I can sit around, drink a bit of whisky, eat a good meal. And then, if the light comes, I’m already there! None of this hiking down in the dark crap, or getting up 5 hours before sunrise.

I can sit around and be lazy, then shoot sunset. Wake up, roll out of the tent, and shoot sunrise. Simple! To me, it makes perfect sense. Two photo possibilities for the effort of one.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 70-200mm f/4
92mm
ISO 100
f 8
1/8 second
WB Daylight

/0 Comments/by