Photo: Fishing boat heading through Nappstraumen with Himmeltindan rising in the distance, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. April 5, 2026. 20:05
It is that time of year where Lofoten tries to decide if it is still winter or spring can finally begin. This year it seems spring is currently on the winning side as the storms of March have broken for a mostly sunny start to April. Perhaps winter was already over in March, as this year Norway recorded its warmest March ever – which any photographer who was here last month will be well aware of.
It is also that time of year where I slowly forget about time as the days become endlessly long. It will often be well into the evening when I look at the time and see it’s already 20:00 and I haven’t cooked dinner yet. Dinner is now becoming a daylight activity on Lofoten. Already this week sunset is at 20:40, and growling quickly later by the day.
Here, a lone Sjark (small fishing boat) sails below a still snow-capped Himmeltindan rising 962 meters from the sea. The lower foreground mountains of Mannen and Veggen are already mostly snow-free. Spring is hopefully on the way.
Camera Info: Nikon Z8 Nikon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 270mm ISO 500 f8 1/320 Second WB Daylight
Photo: Northern Lights – Aurora Borealis rise into sky over Skagsanden beach, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. February 23, 2026. 21:26
The days of April are quickly growing longer as Lofoten enters the period of not-really-winter but not-quite-spring. How long this weather lasts is anyones guess and this year it seems to have already started at the beginning of March, as weeks of rain have already melted away all the low level snow across the islands, with only slight dustings temporarily returning the landscape white again for a short while. After a long winter guiding, it is that time of year where I want to go south and see some green grass and trees, which is still about 6-7 weeks away here in the north.
What is soon coming to an end though is Lofoten’s aurora season, with a little over 2 weeks left for your last chance to see the northern lights until they return again in late August. This winter started off pretty well, mostly helped by the stable and clear weather of January and February. However, as March arrived, the weather became stormy and unsettled, and almost consistently grey – especially the nights. There have been many difficult aurora years in the past during my workshop season, but finally, this year was the first time a winter photo tour did not get any northern lights over the course of a week since I started guiding on Lofoten in 2016. Frustratingly for them, both the week prior and after were lucky with 4 nights of aurora each. That is how the luck works up here sometimes, and after 10 years, it finally caught up with me.
This image is from a fantastic night in late February. I had the group on site early but the aurora were off to a slow start this evening. Though this is often helpful for groups, as everyone can get setup as a leisurely pace, get their cameras focused, etc., without panicking that they are missing a sky full of dancing aurora. That came later.
After some hours of the normal ebbs and flows, a little before 21:30 the sky finally decided to put on a fantastic show for the group as dancing streaks of magenta aurora shone from horizon to horizon – actually almost too high/south in the sky for Skagsanden beach.
In the above image, is the aurora near its peak brightness at 21:26: ISO 2000, f/2.2 1 second exposure. The below image was taken just 3 minutes prior, at 21:23: ISO 2000, f/2.2 4 second exposure. The aurora increased 2 stops in brightness in those 3 minutes, but it was really more like 1 minute, as I had stopped shooting to change compositions.
If I had not been paying attention to the change in brightness, I would have completely lost the magenta highlights in the above image. It also makes the aurora much brighter than the remaining night sky – with a quarter moon on this night, and a much more tricky exposure overall. In these moments the aurora is often moving quite fast as well, making it difficult to find a composition, especially while standing on a beach with multiple photo groups around. While better visually just watching the sky full of dancing light, it is a fast moving and difficult photographic scenario.
The below image, while lacking the intensity of the above, is a much easier shooting situation while on location, and easier processing once home, as the scene was already pretty well balance between the aurora and the night sky and foreground reflections. And while still moving slightly across the sky, the aurora is easier to compose with the surrounding landscape.
Two different northern lights images taken from the same spot only 3 minutes apart. That is the magic of it.
Camera Info: Nikon Z8 Viltrox 16mm f/1.8 16mm ISO 2000 f2.2 1 Second WB Daylight
Photo: Northern Lights – Aurora Borealis shine across sky over Skagsanden beach, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. February 23, 2026. 21:23
Camera Info: Nikon Z8 Viltrox 16mm f/1.8 16mm ISO 2000 f2.2 4 Seconds WB Daylight
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
https://www.68north.com/content/2025/08/friday-photo-660-glimpse.jpg10001500Codyhttps://www.68north.com/content/2016/12/68north-logo-V4.pngCody2025-08-29 04:26:532025-08-29 04:26:55Friday Photo #660 – A Glimpse Of Light
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