Summer | 68 North

Friday Photo #21 – Driftwood Campfire

Photo: Driftwood campfire, Utakleiv, Vestvågøya, Lofoten Islands, Norway. Aug 27, 2012. 21:44

Despite the fact that it had been as near to a perfect day as is possible on Lofoten, I was the only one to setup a tent at Utakleiv this evening. By late summer, burnable wood can be somewhat scarce to come by, all the best driftwood having been previously scoured from the beaches over the preceding months. But despite this, I managed to collect together an unseemly assortment of half moist logs and boards from the rocks at Utakleiv.

Even in late summer the nights are so short that a fire isn’t really necessary, but to me it’s more of a tradition while camping than anything else. Although sitting alone by a fire still feels a bit lonely, there was no one else around to share it with. And so I sat, on one of the few calm evenings of summer 2012, myself and my fire at Utakleiv while the sun sank below the horizon.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24+70mm f-2.8
70mm
ISO 100
f 4
.3 sec
WB Daylight

May 31, 2013/0 Comments/by Cody

Friday Photo, Summer, Vestvågøya

Friday Photo # 15 – Stamsund Summer Twilight

Photo: Late Summer twilight, Stamsund, Vestvagøyå, Lofoten Islands, Norway. Aug 24, 2012. 00:59

Even one month after the Summer’s first sunset, the northern horizon of late August still glows throughout the night.

After several days of turbulent weather, this evening, my first after arriving at the hostel in Stamsund, was eerily calm. With clear skies, I stayed up late in hopes of an early appearance of the Northern Lights, which had appeared a few nights prior.

Finally, on one of my trips up the small hill behind the hostel I came upon this scene. I’m not sure what in particular I was drawn to, and perhaps at some other period in my life I would have passed this photo by, just content to be an observer. but the stillness of the night was rare for Lofoten and as I had only been on the islands for a few days, I was still eager for photos.

More effort of my behalf would have perhaps led me down to the shoreline to shoot for a few more hours, but I think a comfy bed was calling my name by this point in my travels. Still was a night to remember.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
24mm
ISO 200
f 5.6
30 sec
WB Daylight

April 19, 2013/0 Comments/by Cody

Friday Photo, Moskenesøya, Summer

Friday Photo #11 – Agvatnet

Photo: Row boats float in Ågvatnet, Å I Lofoten, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. July 2001

This is the oldest Lofoten photo I’ll ever post on this site. But this photo is perhaps the whole reason this website exists. It was the summer of 2001 and a 20 year old long haired version of me was on his first ever backpacking trip to Europe. Or more specifically, 10 weeks of summer in Scandinavia. Becoming a photographer was not anywhere on my mind, infact, I would be moving to Santa Cruz to study computer science (ha! That didn’t last too long…) shortly after my return. But I still carried my trusty old Nikon FE (my first ever slr camera) and a couple dozen rolls of film to document my summer in Scandinavia.

I’ve written elsewhere about my discovery of Lofoten while in Bodø, because I had merely wanted to go north of the Arctic circle somewhere. The following morning I was on the ferry to Moskenes. Not having any idea of where to go, I teamed up with the only other Americans making the journey and followed them to Å. Sometime shortly before midnight I was wandering back from a walk and took this photo.

It is not technically perfect. In fact I’d dare say its pretty damn bad. I should have given a little more room in the foreground, and no doubt a tripod and a little hyperfocal-distance also would have helped, but the overall balance of the image is still appealing to me Or perhaps my memories from back then still hold power over something that would never see the light of day today.

Anyhow, I made a print of this when I returned home. It hung on my wall in the various places I lived for the following 5 years until I was finally able to return to Lofoten again. Since that second visit, the Summer of 2006, I’ve been to the islands every year except 2008, when I was doing my best to live in Germany.

Over these last years I’ve returned here again and again to try and make a ‘better’ version of this photo. I’ve never succeeded. Either the boats were missing, or half sunk, or it was raining, or too windy, or Frozen, or… And so this image remains an inspiration to my future and my love of the islands.

Perhaps when I once again have a place to live, I’ll pull the dusty print out of storage and give it a deserved place on my wall.

Camera Info:
Nikon FE
Nikon 35-105 F3.5-4.5 ais
Fuji Provia 100

March 22, 2013/0 Comments/by Cody

Austvågøya, Friday Photo, Summer, Vestvågøya

Friday Photo #10 – Vagakallen Summer Twilight

Photo: Vågakallen summer twilight, viewed from Stamsund, Vesgvågoya, Lofoten Islands, Norway. July 28, 2010. 23:23

A true night never comes to the Lofoten Islands in the weeks following the end of the midnight sun season. Instead, the sun remains just below the northern horizon and the islands glow in a magical twilight around the midnight hours (actually, 01:00 am is when the sun is at its lowest – Daylight Savings Time). Day after day, the twilight increases until late August when the sun finally loses its hold on the North.

The ‘Arctic Twilight’ of Lofoten is perhaps more famous and recognised in the Spring due to the popularity of Terje Sorgjerd’s amazing timelapse, ‘The Arctic Light.’ While Spring is merely a reverse of late Summer, increasing days as opposed to shortening, I find I prefer the Summer twilight for several reasons. First, The islands are at their fullest in late Summer. The hillsides are green and grasses grow tall while wild meadows are filled with wildflowers. In Spring, the islands are yet to wake from their Winter’s sleep. Trees will be leafless and the hillside remain mostly brown and ‘tired.’ The benefit of the Spring twilight is that the weather is more active as winter storms still sweep across the islands. For me, it just a personal preference for late Summer due to the type of images I like to take and other activities such as hiking and camping where I’d rather have warmer temperatures and more settled weather.

The hostel at Stamsund has long been my favourite accommodation on the Lofoten Islands. And it is from the hills and shoreline behind the hostel that I have taken countless images over the years. From Northern Lights and Winter snows to moments like above, a nearly perfectly calm summer evening, I have never witnessed the same scene twice. I often find myself wandering around the coastline late into the night, when the best light exists.

Camera Info:
Nikon D700
Nikon 85mm f/2.8 tilt-shift
85mm
ISO 200
f 13
121 sec
WB Daylight
3 Images – top, middle, bottom. For square format
Filer – B+W 6 stop ND

March 15, 2013/0 Comments/by Cody

Friday Photo, Moskenesøya, Summer

Friday Photo #7 – Kvalvika Beach

Photo: Golden evening light shines on Kvalvika Beach, Moskenesøya, Lofoten Islands, Norway. Aug 26, 2012. 20:04

There were only two of us camping on Kvalvika Beach this day in late August, myself and a young German guy. It is thanks to him that I took this photo.

I had been wandering around the beach taking a few photos in the afternoon light. I had hiked a little bit up a trail to get a slightly higher vantage point which I thought was nice. He I some him come walking across the beach in my direction and when he got to me, he mentioned the he was going to hike up the mountain, Ryten, and asked if I wanted to come along. Sure, why not.

Only wearing a light fleece and with no water, I found myself heading up the mountain. As we got higher it became apparent that we wouldn’t be remaining dry much longer as we could rain showers quickly heading out way. But by now it was too late to head back down, so I continued on.

A cold rain hit fast and hard. The drops seemed huge, even by Norwegian standards. I did my best to take some shelter behind the biggest bolder I could find, which managed to keep me about 3/4th dry. 15 minutes of this and then the sun finally began to reemerge, creating a rainbow so close I could almost find my pot of gold. A few more minutes and the rain had past, leaving me soaking wet in the chilly wind high up the mountain. But now, an even brighter golden light now shone over the landscape.

Wet and cold, the light was too good to leave. Over the next hours I made some of my favourite images of this trip. I wouldn’t be back at my tent until after dark.

Click here for info on getting to Kvalvika Beach.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
24mm
ISO 200
f 9
1/80 sec
WB Daylight
Single Image
No Filters