Photo:  Northern Lights shine in sky over Olstind, Valen, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  February 11, 2014.  23:04

For anyone who as seen the Northern Lights, I don’t think I need to explain why I have a growing fascination with them.  It is almost like a drug, the more I see, the more I want.  In my earlier winter travels to Lofoten, I thought of them as an added bonus to the already spectacular landscape that I was there to photograph.  Now I think of the lights as a key part of any photography tour of the islands, and I begin to grow impatient after too many cloudy nights.

I try and photography the Northern Lights as an element of an overall landscape.  That is to say, I don’t just want the lights themselves, but I want the lights as an element of an overall landscape photograph.  However, living 10,000 km away from Lofoten, and only having precious few weeks on the islands each year, this is easier said than done, and I miss many opportunities in ‘right time, wrong place’ moments.

But always in my mind are a few scenes that I desire to photograph in a particular way.  Northern Lights and Olstind is one of those images.  I have been close to my envisioned image a few times, including this photo, but I don’t think I’ve quite made it yet.

I often think about what it would be like to live in Reine, or anywhere on Lofoten for that matter, and have 180 nights per year to attempt to fulfil my minds images.  Must be magical.  Even if only for a year.  Maybe some day if I’m lucky.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
14mm
ISO 1250
f 4.5
20 seconds
WB Daylight

Photo: Abandoned Rorbu, Vestvalen, near Reine, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  Feb 17, 2017.  17:19

I posted a different version of this building a few months ago.  While I had been familiar with the location for many years, and had shot images from the building, I had never taken any images of the building, until this evening.

The last moments of light combined with low, heavy clouds provided the perfect atmosphere to accompany this abandoned rorbu for a scene that I waited years to come across.  I like to think I have seen everything Lofoten has to offer, but I have come nowhere close! Nearly every moment of every day is different, week after week, month after month, year after year.  I have rarely come across the same conditions in the same place twice.  One of the reason I never get bored with the islands; they are always changing!

While I don’t often tend to shoot architecture, this evening was perfect for this building.  Even to the detail of the mountain emerging from the clouds in the background.  I only had a short amount of time and then the sky opened up for the remainder of the night.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24mm f/3.5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 100
f 8
20 sec
WB Daylight
2 images – top, bottom

Photo: Winter Reflection on Kjerkfjord, near Reine, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  Jan 6, 2010.  13:35

In the short days of early January the sun barely rises above the southern horizon.  If the sky is clear, then several hours of wonderful twilight is what a photographer will be rewarded with.

It is a rare event when all elements align perfectly, but when they do, there is perhaps no better place in the world to be than Lofoten, well, at least for those of us that like winter.

Nearing Reine, the fjord was almost perfectly still and they sky glowed pink.  In the distance, the snow covered mountains between Vindstad and Kjerkfjord reflected in the calm waters.  I knew I had precious little time on this day to get to as many places as possible.  Yet everywhere I looked was something amazing.  If I were able to stop the clock, then this this day could have lasted a full year…

Camera Info:
Nikon D700
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
70mm
ISO 200
f 8
1/40 sec
WB Daylight

Photo: Lake Ågvatnet in Winter, Å I Lofoten, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  Jan 6, 2010.  14:22

Having followed the light from Vestvågøy to the end of the road at Å on this short January day, and the only day I saw the sun on this trip, I was eager to get as much variety as possible.  While waiting for the light to fade a bit more before heading out to the coast for sunset, I wandered over to lake Ågvatnet, sublimely covered in a fresh layer of snow.

I took a few ‘normal’ images, ie. no tilt, but for some reason, the scene wasn’t doing much for me.  I’m not quite sure why, but I think it just felt a little out of balance and with no clear focal point.  Finally, I just decided to throw a full tilt on the lens, open up the f-stop for a shallow depth of field and focus on the pointy mountain in the distance.

This did the trick for me.  Combined with the soft light and fresh snow, this image has a bit more of an etherial feel that I typically shoot.  But I like it for some reason.  And the subtly of the image works well as a desktop background, which I currently use.

Camera Info:
Nikon D700
Nikon 24mm f/3.5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 200
f 4.8
1/60 sec
WB Daylight
2 images – top, bottom
Full lens tilt