Photo: Moonrise over Vestfjord from summit of Hermannsdalstind, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  August 23, 2013.  21:15

It was early evening by the time I arrived on the summit of Hermannsdalstind, the sun hanging low on the western horizon.  I didn’t really have much of a plan, other than I would sleep on the summit if possible, which I didn’t really know before arriving.  I had heard there was some place to put a tent, but if so, I didn’t find it.  Luckily for me though, the weather was calm, for Lofoten standards.  I found a mostly flat rock just below the summit, which didn’t look too easy to fall off of, and decided that is where I would sleep for the night.

With the sun setting into the Norwegian sea to the west, a near full moon was rising across the Vestfjord to the east.  The sky was becoming a little hazy, and the light wasn’t as brilliant as could be, but it was one of those ‘wow’ moments.

I go up into the mountain and suffer discomfort in an attempt to capture beautiful images of scenes that not many people will ever see.  Sometimes conditions work photographically and I come away with something nice.  But more often the moment of just being there is the reward for all the sweat of carrying a heavy backpack up a steep mountain.

It was only me up there, alone on the top of Lofoten, the surrounding world in perfect calm.  I only had a little water and a little food, but even without, the views for my eyes would have been enough to sustain me for the night.  Had the rain soon come, I would have been thankful for my few hours up there.  Some (many) moments are better in reality than photographs.

In our over saturated, super dynamic, focus stacked, and micro contrasted world which is the current state of online landscape photography, it is good to remember why we began our journeys to these places in the first part.  For the experience, for the adventure, for the being…

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 85mm f/2.8 tilt+shift
85mm
ISO 200
f 8
1/25 second
WB Daylight
2 images – top, bottom

Photo: Evening sun over Norwegian sea from Ryten, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  August 26, 2012.  20:38

An hour after I took last week’s photo, the sun was finally beginning to near the horizon.  It had been a long, cold wait on the summit after being rained on while only having my fleece, but as every minute passed the light got better.

The sea was actually pretty calm as the only wind was up high on the summit.  A few rain showers still threatened, but they remained out at sea fortunately.  One more and I probably would have given up and hiked back down to the warmth of my sleeping bag.

The simplicity of this view, sea and sky, might not be something that exists forever.  While the current Norwegian government has (thankfully) put a stop to oil exploration off the Lofoten coast, these waters are still under threat and one day this view might be blemished by a row of oil platforms.  A tragedy in my opinion!

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
70mm
ISO 200
f 10
1/200 second
WB Daylight

Photo: Bunes beach from Helvetestind, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  August 15, 2013.  11:54

Helvetestind is one of those mountains I got to know from the ground before the summit.  A massive, solid piece of granite, it rises nearly vertical from the vast sands of Bunes beach to a narrow summit some 600 meters above.  From sea of summit, the mountain is something to look at, or from.  But now having stood on top, the view from up here is much better!

My journey to the summit was a long one, have been traveling non-stop since I walk out my door in California some 38-40 hours before.  In my usual style for heading to Lofoten, I like to leave my schedule as open as possible once I arrive on the islands as you never know what the weather will do.  Rain usually means I go and hide in Stamsund, while sun means sleep might still be some hours away as I journey strait into the mountains.

For some strange reason, the islands greeted me with sun.  And not just normal sun, but a day with some fantastic puffy white clouds gently floating against a background of blue.  I shot a few time-lapse sequences this day, which may or may not ever be put to use (I need a new computer first).

I set up camp lower down on the ridge, thinking the summit would be a bit too exposed if the weather turned, though maybe I will try it out next time.  Though I did hike back towards the summit at dusk, it was somewhat dull and uneventful, so I didn’t miss too much being lower down.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 16-35mm f/4
16mm
ISO 250
f 9
1/800 second
WB Daylight

Photo: Morning light on Merrastitinden, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  August 16, 2013.  05:44

Even while camping high in the mountains, it is easy to end up in a place where you will not see any sun until it is well above the horizon.  Though sometimes you get at least a little lucky in the light you are provided.

Having camped about 2/3 the way up Helvetestinden on my first day on the islands in August 2013, I was barely able to rise out of bed in the early morning.  Though while the sky overhead glowed with the arriving day, I remained deep in the shadows of surrounding peaks.  So I went back to bed for a couple hours, like any lazy photographer would do.

Awaking sometime later to blue sky overhead, I was still in the shadows of mountains.  Yet the sun was breaking through the surrounding peaks in one place, shining bright on the near vertical granite cliffs of Merrastind.

I’m not sure how many days per year this light exists, but I’m glad enough I was there at this time.  While I wish there was a little more going on in the sky, I still like this image for the simplicity of the elements.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 85mm f/2.8 tilt-shift
85mm
ISO 100
f 8
1/100 sec
WB Daylight
2 images – top, bottom