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Friday Photo #685 – Valley Light

Photo: Warm winter light shines through the steep valleys of distant Flakstadøy, Yttersand, Lofoten Islands, Norway. January 26, 2026. 11:36

Despite the quickly lengthening days, the late January sun does not rise far above the horizon, leaving much of the northern valleys of Lofoten hidden in shadow. Here, even approaching noon, the sun only shines across the highest peaks rising over Vikten, the rest of the valley and village remains in the shadow of the surrounding mountain wall.

I actually almost didn’t shoot this image, but after seeing by co-guide Sam take a nice version, I decided it was worth pulling out the camera as well. I do tend to get a little lazy on Lofoten these days, and it is a common occurrence during image reviews that I think to myself that I probably should have taken a few more photos during the trip – especially with the fantastic winter conditions this year has received so far.

It is a simple image, but I like the mood in it. Late January is always a good time of winter on Lofoten; The days are long enough where you have plenty of time to shoot and get around, but the sun is low that you still have that feeling and atmosphere of being in the far north. By late February, the sun is beginning to feel a bit more ‘normal,’ or as it could be anywhere else in the world. It is only the difference of a few weeks, but you can feel it.

Camera Info:
Nikon Z8
Nikon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6
400mm
ISO 200
f7.1
1/400 Second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #682 – Colourful Aurora

Photo: Colourful northern lights fill sky, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. January 20, 2026. 18:37

This is the following night from last week’s aurora image (Friday Photo #681) and actually a better display than the previous night. The image is looking south towards the colourful aurora filling the southwestern sky over Lofoten, though not long after was full overhead corona filling up the entire frame of my 16mm lens.

Unfortunately for me, the beach by my house doesn’t work well for southern oriented northern lights in general. And the current state of the beach is quite messy with seaweed from the recent winter storms. Ideally I would have been over at Vik or Haukland beaches, with offer a better view towards west and southwest auroras, but the ongoing construction in Nappstraumen tunnel make this a tedious journey these days. I could probably get there faster by boat if I had one.

So, while far from my best aurora photo ever, it was a nice and colourful night. With the first of my winter photography workshops starting today, I’ll hopefully have many more nights under Lofoten’s dancing sky over the next two months – Though hopefully I have some time for sleep as well! Last year was a rough season with a lot of clouds, so hopefully this year goes a bit easier.

Camera Info:
Nikon Z8
Viltrox 16mm f/1.8
16mm
ISO 2000
f2
5 Seconds
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #681 – Red Aurora

Photo: Red Northern lights fill the northern horizon over Lofoten, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. January 19, 2026. 23:23

On Monday night one of the biggest solar storms in the last 20 years hit the earth, bringing northern lights down to Italy and parts of the southern US. I’ll let the space nerds debate on how strong it actually was, as that is not my field of expertise. But for a high latitude photographer, it was just a bit, ehhh. Bigger and stronger is not always better here in the high north. For mid latitudes of (mostly) Europe, it was possibly a once in a lifetime show, though some of the aurora from 2025 might compete with it. For us up north, the following Tuesday night was a much more active and dynamic show (probably next week’s photo).

Though I must also admit, that for the stronger aurora, which move into the southern half of the horizon, my vantage point on the ‘yttersia’ of Lofoten is not always the best, as I have mountains blocking my view towards the south. And while the red color was quite vibrant, especially in the southern horizon, its was mostly just that, red color. Special, yes. Spectacular, no.

This image is taken from the beach while facing north, probably a bit after the peak activity had passed. While I have seen many nights with a fully green glowing sky, I don’t think I can remember any with a red glow such as this. But Lofoten was actually too far north for much of the more dynamic activity, which produced overhead aurora much further south. The following night the sky really was dancing, as full of color.

Camera Info:
Nikon Z8
Viltrox 16mm f/1.8
16mm
ISO 2000
f2
5 Seconds
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #672 – Moose Crossing

Photo: Car quickly breaks as moose crosses E10 at Storeide west of Leknes, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. February 17, 2025. 9:21

With the whole of Lofoten covered in a nice layer of winter snow, while I myself am stuck at home fighting off a cold instead of perhaps my first ski trip of the season, its time for my annual winter driving post.

Winter Driving on Lofoten

Already, the local newspaper, Lofotposten, has been full of ‘bil i grofta,’ ‘car in a ditch’ articles since the roads got icy last week. And with moderate to heavy snowfall over the last days, the pace of the articles has increased to multiple incidents per day. Yesterday, there was even a headline out of a Tromsø newspaper: (tow truck driver) Pulled the same Chinese couple out of the ditch 7 times in one week. If you are renting a car on Lofoten this winter, I highly suggest getting the full insurance packages, as it is getting very dangerous on the roads these days with drivers who should be nowhere near a car in winter.

The main winter driving hazards on Lofoten these days will be:

Your own driving abilities – Especially if you are new to driving in snow.

Other tourists – Anything from inexperienced drivers driving in the middle/left side of the road (very common), turning the completely wrong way on roads/roundabouts, randomly stopping in the middle of the road, driving on sidewalks, and basically anything else you can imagine. Learn how to recognise other rental cars, as they will be one of your biggest hazards while driving on Lofoten.

Weather – There will be days where you NEED to stay in your rorbu or hotel. Do not put yourself or others at risk, not to see anything but blowing snow anyhow.

Wildlife – Moose are common in the mid and eastern areas of Lofoten, and even more so into Vesterålen and Ofoten. numerous moose vs. car crashes happen every winter. Avoid driving at night when possible.

In this week’s photo I was on my way to drop-off clients at the airport in Leknes when I spotted a family of moose on the side of the road up ahead. Luckily I was right next to the large pullout at Storeide and so I had a safe place to stop – Never stop in the middle of the road! I rushed to put on my telephoto lens as fast as I could before hopefully trying to walk somewhere for a better angle. But before I even got the door to my van shut I could see the large bull moose heading up towards the road, right into traffic. And so I shot a series of images the best I could from my distance. The best composition was unfortunately blocked by a passing car heading towards me. At least this was a decent image to talk about winter driving on Lofoten in this week’s article.

Camera Info:
Nikon Z8
Nikon 100-400 f/4.5-5.6
400mm
ISO 1250
f5.6
1/1600 Second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #666 – Aurora Fire

Photo: Northern lights over beachside campfire, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. September 27, 2025. 21:48

I must admit that I’ve been rather lazy as far as northern lights have been concerned this year. Mainly because the weather hasn’t been all that cooperative – even during my hike along a section of the Kungsleden trail in Sweden in mid September and construction along both my road and Nappstraumen tunnel limit times when I’m able to leave my house or where I can access. And there is still a long winter of guiding ahead anyone, with many late nights I’m sure.

But as my friend and co-guide Alex arrived a few days before our autumn photo workshop, the clouds decided to clear and I was shooting aurora Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. Saturday was even a nice enough day for my last BBQ of the year. Which makes sense as this September turned out to be the warmest one in Lofoten since 1934! Even now into mid October the weather is unusually mild, though a bit more on the rainy side now. I still haven’t changed to winter tires yet, but most likely will the next time the rain stops for a few hours.

As I shoot aurora at my beach quite regularly, including the previous night, I decided it might be good to do a little more lifestyle shooting and build a fire on the beach. I generally try and avoid any light pollution which might disturb others during northern lights – something that is becoming an increasing problem at many of Lofoten’s beaches as people sit in their rental cars with bright headlights shining across the landscape. But as my village is more or less closed to non-residents due to the road works, there was no one else around this evening.

And so we did out best to stand still as statues for the several second exposures, running back to check the cameras, and then try again. Once the aurora increased in intensity we put out the fire and shot the beach as normal. But I think these campfire images are more interesting, at least for my familiar location.

Camera Info:
Nikon Z8
Viltrox 16mm f/1.8
18mm
ISO 2500
f2
3 Seconds
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #665 – Mountain Layers

Photo: View towards Skottind mountain peak from Kollfjellet, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. October 5, 2019. 17:28

Autumn is short in the north and already by early October the autumn color is slowly beginning to fade from the landscape. The leaves from the trees are the first to disappear, blown away from the frequent autumn storms. the grasses though, remain for a little while longer until they are eventually blanketed in winter’s snow.

I still remember this rainy afternoon hike up Kollfjellet for a few years ago, mostly because I forgot my rain jacket and had to hide under a small rock for a while as a rain shower passed overhead. But eventually the rain ended and I was alone on the broad, grassy summit of the mountain. The main view from the peak is the fantastic view over the colorforl water of Kilanpollen to the north.

On my way down from the summit in the fading light this subtle scene caught my eye. I liked the way the golden grass contrasted with the deep blue clouds to frame the distant mountain of Skottinden in the soft evening light. Just a couple quick photos before I continued my journey down the mountain before.

Camera Info:
Nikon D850
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
56mm
ISO 100
f13
1/10 Second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #664 – First Snow

Photo: A dusting of autumn snow on the distant Himmeltindan in evening twilight, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. September 23, 2025. 18:30

Monday’s autumnal equinox brought the official start of autumn in the the northern hemisphere and already by Tuesday morning a dusting of snow had arrived to the higher mountains of Lofoten. a brief moment of cold in what has otherwise been a rather mild, if not hot, September on Lofoten this year, with multiple days over 20˚c. And even the forecast for the weekend is showing 15˚c and sunny skies. Winter is not here yet!

On Tuesday I waited until it looked like the rain had mostly cleared up before wandering down to my beach just for a photo or two. The weather radar over Lofoten had been down, so unfortunately, weather forecasting at the moment is not as easy as normal, and the passing rain showers are just a guessing game. This is probably going to lead to some wet clients in next week’s photo workshop here on Lofoten.

Despite a fair amount of winder of the last week, I was pleasantly surprised to find the beach seaweed-free. The waves were crashing nicely around the rocks and normally I shoot here with a wider angle. But since I was hoping to be able to see the snow on the mountain summits, as little as there was remaining by the early evening, I shot a little longer to give a little more emphasis on the distant mountains. I also wanted to take away emphasis on the water itself, so I decided a long exposure would be better than trying to capture any movement of the waves, which didn’t look particularly interesting at this focal length anyhow. So a 30 second exposure to smooth the water seemed best, which also helped blur the moving clouds as well. I probably could have gone with an even long exposure, but I was simply too lazy to do so…

Camera Info:
Nikon Z8
Nikon 24-120mm f/4
54mm
ISO 100
f7.1
30 Seconds
WB Daylight
10 Stop Neutral Density Filter

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Friday Photo #660 – A Glimpse Of Light

Photo: A faint midnight aurora over glowing horizon of late August, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. August 29, 2025. 00:10

After weeks of clouds, rain, and wind this August, last finally showed a weather forecast for a cloudless sky. The aurora season has already started here on Lofoten and so I was optimistic for my first shots of the season. while the northern horizon still glows bright at this time of year, the hours around midnight to two am are sufficiently dark for any moderate aurora activity to be visible, especially if it heads in a more southernly direction. And so I kept a close watch out the window has the evening hours progressed.

Around 23:30 I saw a first faint glow of green over the mountains of Himmeltindan and so I grabbed my camera and headed down to the beach. I actually drove down instead of the 2 minute walk, because I was hoping I’d eventually drive elsewhere as the night progressed. But it didn’t

The faint soon disappeared. Though that is being generous, as it was barely visible anyhow. From time to time, a little green would brighten here and there, mostly keeping low to the glowing northern horizon. I stayed on the beach until well after midnight until I decided it wasn’t going to be my night and went home – though still keeping an eye out the window for a little while longer.

Had this been April, I wouldn’t have even bothered going out. But for my first aurora of the season, I guess I need to put in a little bit of effort, even if that effort is just standing on an empty beach for an hour.

The weather still looks good for the next days, so maybe tonight or tomorrow I’ll have a little more luck, and a better picture to post for next week.

Camera Info:
Nikon Z8
Nikon 20mm f/1.8
20mm
ISO 640
f2.2
2.5 Seconds
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #659 – Aurora Season

Photo: September northern lights – aurora borealis rise into sky over Myrland beach, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. September 2, 2024. 00:41

I had been hoping this week’s photo would be of my first northern lights of the season. After weeks of rain and cloudy skies, some clear skies were finally in the forecast last night and so I was optimistic for an early season aurora photo. But as the sky darkened near midnight, it was aided by a giant cloud that seemed to sit over my valley until after 01:00. I could see elsewhere on Lofoten some northern lights were spotted, but it wouldn’t be so for me. And with rain returning this afternoon and throughout the weekend, it will probably be some days before I spot my first green in the sky.

And so, this week’s image is my first aurora from last year, taken on the early morning hours of September 2. This is actually somewhat late for my first aurora of the season, but last year was a rainy autumn as well, which this year seems on track to repeat, unfortunately.

And realistically, while the northern lights become visible from Lofoten starting around August 16/17 at the earliest, the sky is still too bright for much photography and the aurora will mostly only be visible higher in the sky. By the first days of September though, the northern horizon has faded into a deep amber glow with sufficient darkness for the aurora to be visible from the horizon.

It might not be something people think about, but early season auroras actually become visible further south at first – assuming sufficient solar activity, and work their way north. This is because, at the moment, the sky is simply darker at 65˚N than 68˚N. The further north sky won’t pass the darkness of the southern sky until the autumnal equinox, at which point the high north becomes darker, eventually reaching the polar night north of the Arctic Circle.

For example, The Lofoten Islands, at 68˚N have a slightly longer aurora season than Tromsø which is at 69˚N. Tromsø’s sky stays brighter longer in the late summer, and gets brighter earlier in the early spring.

Camera Info:
Nikon Z8
Sigma 14mm f/1.8
14mm
ISO 2000
f2
6 Seconds
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #656 – Curlew Twilight

Photo: Curlew in July midnight twilight, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. July, 21, 2025. 23:53

I haven’t had much luck with the Arctic Skuas in my neighbourhood this year. I have seen them flying directly over my house on several occasions in the last weeks, but anytime I head out to the moorlands to take a look, just silence… Silence from the Arctic Skuas at least, but the neighbourhood is still alive with life for the next few weeks as various types of young fledgling chicks gain strength for their long migrations south.

The curlew parents fly around in an attempt to distract you from their chicks, which sit absolutely still in the bushy heather attempting to remain unseen. The young chick from the curlew in this image happened to be just along the side of the trail as I was passing by. Had I been a hungry fox, it would have been an easy meal. But I was more interested in getting a nice shot of the parent, as it was obvious I wasn’t having any luck with the Skuas on this evening.

With the sun soon setting combined with a layer of fog out to sea, it was getting dark-ish for wildlife photography at midnight. The curlew was often in front of mountains and other vegetation most of the time as it flew around and landed on various small outcroppings. This was too dark and pushed my ISO up to 25600 at times. It wasn’t until it finally landed in an area overlooking the sea where I could get more light from the brighter open background and distant mountains. I could also drop my shutter speed a little as well as the bird luckily remained still for long enough to get a few shots.

The following morning as I was walking to the shower, two of the Arctic Skuas flew right outside my bathroom window… Perhaps I should just sit on the toilet for my future wildlife photography attempts.

Camera Info:
Nikon Z8
Nikon 180-600mm f/536-6.3
300mm
ISO 2800
f6.3
1/640 Second
WB Daylight

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