Friday Photo #136 – Stamsund

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View over harbor towards Stamsund hostel, Stamsund, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Summer in Stamsund, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  June 12, 2015. 11:00

I talk a lot about the hostel at Stamsund, which is pretty much the main reason I’ve returned to the Islands so many times over the years. But for some reason, I never really take many pictures of the hostel itself – probably because when the weather is good, I’m elsewhere on Lofoten, not sitting around eating popcorn.

During the midnight sun days of June, I become a bit more nocturnal than normal, often not going to bed until 03:00 or 04:00 in the morning. This means I also sleep in a bit. So waking up one morning after a light night in the mountains, the sky was blue and sunny with some nice puffy white clouds. I walked across the bay to get this image of the hostel, shining bright in the summer sun.

Camera Info:
Nikon D810
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
24mm
ISO 100
f 8
1/500 second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #135 – Unstad Panoramic

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Mountain view over Unstad beach, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Summer light over Unstad, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 7, 2015. 21:03

Here is a panoramic view of last week’s image. While I really liked the details and shadows of the houses in the closeup, the overall scene was too good not to capture really wide.

I wish I could have gotten to a slightly higher vantage point up the mountain, but time didn’t allow for it. I was lucky enough to find a flat enough rock on the cliff face to set up my tripod and still have enough room to stand. Otherwise it was a rather uncomfortable position of the 50-55˚ grassy slope.

The light and shadows over the village and beach make this one of my favorite scenes from my June trip to Lofoten.

Camera Info:
Nikon D810
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
29mm
ISO 250
f 10
1/400second
WB Daylight
5 image pano

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Friday Photo #134 – Unstad Beach

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Mountain view over Unstad beach, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Summer light over Unstad, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 7, 2015. 21:27

Clouds and frequent rain showers had been passing the Islands all day. But finally by evening, the sky seemed to be clearing enough for me to venture out to the hills.

My objective was a small mountain above Unstad, but not knowing where/if there was an actual route to the summit, I picked what looked like the most obvious way, a steep grassy hillside full of grazing sheep with a small creek running down the middle. Progress was slow as the wet grass was slippery and inconsistent, often with rocks buried beneath.

About halfway to the ridge I was trying to reach, I realized the light would be gone before I arrived. So I traversed over a steep slope and out onto some cliffs where I could get a nice view of Unstad, with the low evening sun shining across the village. The shadows of the clouds were racing across the land. giving depth to the scene. I would have liked to have been on top of the mountain, but I’m happy with the results here.

Camera Info:
Nikon D810
Nikon 70-200mm f/4
98mm
ISO 250
f 8
1/320 second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #133 – Offersoykammen Midnight Sun

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MIdnight sun view over coastal landscape from summit of Offersøykammen mountain peak, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Midnight sun from Offersøykammen, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 7, 2015. 00:45

The good thing about summer on Lofoten is that even if you get a late start, the sun will still be around. I started the evening unsuccessfully trying to make my way to a trail-less summit near Unstad. As it became apparent that the light I was after wasn’t going to wait until I reached the top, I headed down and proceeded to make other plans as my soaked shoes where drying in the car’s heater.

With a couple options available, I chose Offersøykammen, pulling into the parking lot just after 23:00. Loaded down with camera gear, I sprinted my way towards the summit, ascending the 400 meters in just over 30 minutes – completely soaked in sweat, despite the cold temperatures.

The direct light had faded as the sun moved behind the clouds, so I set up a time-lapse with my Fuji xt-1, then set about wandering around the summit looking for other compositions. This photo was taken a bit before 01:00, as the sun was reaching its lowest point in the sky, after this, sunrise would begin…

Camera Info:
Nikon D810
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
14mm
ISO 200
f 8
1/60 second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #132 – Unstad Midnight Sun

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Midnight sun over Unstad beach, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Waiting for midnight over Unstad, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 5, 2015. 23:28

I addition to a few last photos from my Seasons on Lofoten – Summer eBook, I was also already planing one of the next books, about the beaches of Lofoten. But beyond merely capturing the beaches from sea level, I was also looking to photograph them from above. Unstad beach was the 2nd hike I made, up to the summit of Nonstind.

I started the evening much earlier, with some nice evening light shining in over the bay. But as time passed, I was quite ready to leave the mountain yet, so I headed up a bit further. Somewhere along the ridge there was this nice overlook, which I reached just as the sun emerged for a few minutes from the otherwise mostly cloudy sky.

Camera Info:
Nikon D810
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
32mm
ISO 100
f 9
1/100 second
WB Dayligh

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Friday Photo #131 – Myrland Summer

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Myrland, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Midnight light and summer fields, Myrland, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 6, 2015. 23:56

Sleep in near impossible for a photographer on Lofoten in Summer, more so if the light is good. After a couple consecutive days in the mountains, I was feeling a bit lazy and looking for something coastal to photograph.

I had been out to Myrland earlier in the evening, with some nice light on this field and barn – which is the shot that is the cover of my Seasons on Lofoten – Summer eBook. After that, I drove back down the road to Storsandnes and found a place to park for the night.  But as I finished dinner and the hours passes, I wasn’t content with the scene in front of me, the sea just wasn’t calm or stormy enough. Before heading off the another beach, I decided just to checkout Myrland one last time. The light was better than before!

I arrived a few minutes before midnight, as the sun was breaking through some clouds. The mountains had a wonderful warm light shining on them and the wind was still quite calm.  I knelt down in the field just on the edges of the flowers and got completely wet from the soggy ground, but no matter when the light is nice.

Normally I don’t photograph such rural scenes very often, but somehow, this photo says ’summer on Lofoten’ to me and is one of my favorite images from this past trip.

Camera Info:
Nikon D810
Nikon 70-200mm f/4
70mm
ISO 250
f 5
1/125 second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #116 – Lofoten Coast

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Lofoten Islands Sailing

Photo: Moskenesøy coast, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  August 31, 2014.  11:24

It was somewhat Ironic, that the first time I find myself on a sailboat off the coast of Lofoten, the weather is so calm that there is no wind for sailing!  I’ve never had so many consecutive calm, sunny days on the Islands as I did when I was aboard the sailboat from late August to early September.

The weather did eventually catch up with us the day after this image, but for a view from the north side of Moskenesøy, I never believed the sea could be so still.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
35mm
ISO 160
f 10
1/500second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #115 – Sailing at Helle

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Sailing Lofoten Islands, NorwaySailing Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Sailboat anchorage at Buvågen bay, Helle, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  August 31, 2014.  19:18

Sailing to Helle, at the ‘end’ of Lofoten was the highlight of my summer sailing trip with Vertical Shot Expeditions.  Helle has been a place I’ve long wanted to visit, yet never had the means to do so myself.

This was the last day of good weather on the trip, so I made the most of it and wandered around the hillsides taking as many pictures of the boat as I could. Even continuing on into the night when a late summer display of the northern lights filled the sky overhead.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
15mm
ISO 160
f 14
1/100 second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #105 – Sailboat Mooring at Helle

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Sailboat Anchorage in Buvågen Bay at Helle, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Sailboat anchorage in summer twilight at Buvågen bay at Helle on the westernmost tip of Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  August 31, 2014.  21:48

Helle it the westernmost tip of Moskenesøy (and more of less Lofoten itself).  I’ve been wanting to get here for a few years and have tried to research any hiking routes, which would likely take several days over the steep mountains.  So when I learned visiting the location would probably be part of the summer sailing trip with Vertical Shot Expeditions I was a part of, I was quite excited.

We were racing an incoming storm to get here before bad weather arrived – the sea outside the bay is some of the roughest waters in Norway, with strong and turbulent currents.  The weather cooperated and we arrived on a brilliantly calm afternoon, with enough time to get out the following morning.

As evening came, we built a campfire on the shore and cooked up a big meal.  With the sky getting dark, I walked up a small hill to get one last view over the scene.  A little while later, northern lights were filling the sky as we rode the dinghy back to the boat.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
14mm
ISO 640
f 6.3
1/6 second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #89 – Kjerkfjord Sunset

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Sunset behind rugged mountain peaks and Kjerkfjord from Reinebringen peak, Reine, Lofoten islands, Norway

Photo: Setting sun behind Kjerkfjord from the summit of Reinebringen, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  July 25, 2010.  11:13

For my first hike up Reinebringen I decided to to the most obvious thing one getting to the top; spend the night on the summit.  Well, It can hardly be considered night in late July, but the sun still sets for a couple hours at this point in the year.

Having spent the previous two nights at Bunes beach, at night on Reinebringen wasn’t really in the plan.  But as my friend Søren and I walked off the ferry back in Reine, looking at the clear blue sky and mountains all around, the choice was made for us.

Unfortunately I hadn’t decided to gather any more water while at Bunes, so I had to buy an overprice 0.5 liter bottle from the StatOil station in Reine.  By the time I reached the summit or Reinebringen this had turned into 0.2 litters, with about 18 hours remaining on the mountain.

It perhaps the most absolutely perfect day of the whole summer.  Blue sky, warm temperatures and no wind.  I setup my tent on the summit, not to protect me from the weather, but as the only place to escape from the sun.  The hours passed by and hikers came and went.  Finally as evening began to arrive, we found ourselves alone on the summit.

As evening passed the sun grew low on the horizon.  Sometimes concealed behind peaks before shining for a few more moments, the descent into the sea was underway.  A cloudless sky stood overhead as we sat up there alone, waiting for the end of a Lofoten summer day to slowly arrive.

We camped out in the open, no fear of rain this night.  Several times I tried to go to sleep, only to crawl out of my sleeping bag to take a few more photos; finally giving up on getting properly dressed and just standing there, bare footed and in my underwear.  A night I will always remember.

Camera Info:
Nikon D700
Nikon 85mm f/2.8 tilt-shift
85mm
ISO 200
f 16
1/60 second
WB Daylight
3 images – left, center, right

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