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Friday Photo #599 – Summer Grey

Photo: Misty grey summer weather over flowery meadow on Yttersia – northern coast of Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 16, 2024. 18:24

This week it is another photo of less than ideal summer weather – a misty grey, light fog, cloaking the landscape and hiding the mountains and sun. However, more important to the story here is location. Just 2km down the road and further from there was a fantastically sunny summer day. Two completely different experiences just a couple km apart from each other.

This particular day was one of the more common types of weather conditions to be experienced on Lofoten during the summer – sea fog. Typically, the fog blows in from the north on otherwise completely clear sunny days. So the northern side of Lofoten can be rather grim and dark, while just heading over to the inner side of Lofoten will often be full of sunshine.

The weather forecasts don’t account well for the summer fog, especially a light version like this, and especially for the high amounts of local variation possible. But one sign of possible northern fog or mist risk is a fully sunny and cloudless forecast for a location like Leknes or Svolvær, in combination with a light northern wind of 4-7 m/s or so. Any other wind direction will typically keep the fog out to sea. So If I’m looking at the weather forecast and see full sun but a north wind, I’ll probably be cautious about making any plans for the yttersia – north side of Lofoten, which, unfortunately, is where most of the nicest beaches and many of my favourite hikes are.

Camera Info:
Nikon Z8
Nikon 24-120mm f/4
24mm
ISO 100
f 5.6
1/320 Second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #598 – Midsummer midnight

Photo: Midsummer midnight sun over the sea, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 20, 2024. 00:00

Yesterday was the summer solstice and the sun’s highest low point over the northern horizon for the year. From now on the days get shorter – although that won’t really be noticeable until the sun finally sets into the sea in mid July. The transition from the end of winter to the arrival of the summer green is so long up here in the north, by midsummer, the actual start of summer, it already feels like autumn is not too far away.

But while the sun may have begun its journey south, thousands of tourists are speeding north in what is already looking like will be the busiest summer ever on Lofoten. In locations where they measure hiking traffic, like Reinebringen, there has already been over 40,000 hikers on the mountain so far this year. And with the tourism season not even in full swing yet, it will probably well surpass last year’s numbers of 215,000 visits, and 160,000 in 2022. It’s a good thing they finally finished the stairs!

But even among the busy roads and thousands of daily hikers on the popular handful of mountains, there still remains the quiet and hidden peaks. Trail-less mountains where one can sit in silence and enjoy the sun floating over the northern sea as if you are the only person in the world. This is where I will mostly be this summer – or BBQing in my backyard.

You may have noticed that I’ve been posting mostly older photos recently, while in general I try to keep these ‘Friday Photo’ posts more of a running journal of recent happenings or info. Most of the reason for this is that I’ve only actually been in my own house about 3 weeks total this year. After a long winter workshop season, I immediately departed for and overdue visit back to California, which then was immediately followed by a trip to Scotland – mostly chasing puffins on Orkney and Shettland – but more on that later. So, now I’m finally looking forward to a bit more time and home and hopefully I don’t have to go near an airport until sometime in the autumn.

Camera Info:
Nikon Z8
Nikon 24-120 f/4
24mm
ISO 100
f 8
1/640 Second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #595 – Two Seasons

Photo: Mid May snowfall over mountains of Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. May 16, 2020. 22:45

This week’s photo is a nice example of the duality of May – Endless days and and snowy mountains. There have been many weeks of winter in the last few years in which the mountains don’t have such a nice fresh layer of snow. So for it to happen in May is a bit more unusual, but not too out of the ordinary.

If I didn’t know the location of this photo, and that the light is coming out of the north at 22:45 in the evening, I could think this was more of an autumn image, judging by the defined snow line half way down the mountains to about 300m. Although fro the closer observer, the snow filled gullies running down to lower elevations give way that this photo must at least have been taken after a significant snowfall and colder period. And then knowing the sun is towards the north means spring is the likely timing.

Camera Info:
Nikon D850
Sigma 14mm f/1.8
14mm
ISO 100
f 10
1/15 Second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #592 – Waiting For Summer

Photo: Oystercatcher in evening sunlight, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. May 10, 2021. 22:11

I’ve probably written this every year for the past 10 years, and I’ll write it again now: I find the month of May a strange season on Lofoten. It is a weird balance of summer light in a (brown) winter landscape. Knowing that the lushness of summer is only a few weeks away, I often feel that the often wonderful light of may is wasted on the boring and drab landscape.

Oystercatchers are typically the first of the migratory bird arrivals, typically showing up around mid/late March. By now though, the fields are full of birds, chirping away all night long as they look for mates and nesting locations. I could probably search why oystercatchers are called so, as I never see them eating oysters and they are more typically eating in the fields around my house. Maybe if I lived at a beach I’d see them eating some oysters.

Camera Info:
Nikon D850
Nikon 200-500mm F/5.6
500mm
ISO 500
f 5.6
1/500 Second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #589 – Willow Ptarmigan

Photo: Willow Ptarmigan – Rype walks across snowy field, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. April 18, 2022. 17:01

The long days of mid April bring an ever increasing level of activity to Lofoten as the migratory birds arrive and fight over mates and nesting locations. Though the willow ptarmigans – rype in Norwegian – live on Lofoten year round, they also increase in liveliness during the spring and their calls begin the fill the air.

Usually in winter, my only knowledge of their presence is a set of fresh tracks in the snow. But by April I can hear the males calling out as the fly around the neighbourhood. If I hear one near by house, I’ll often times try to sneak out a get a few photos before they fly away. Sometimes they are patient, other times not.

I still have yet to get a nice image of a fully white rype in a full winter landscape. I guess I’m not that dedicated to wildlife photography! Maybe I should try before all the snow melts…

Camera Info:
Nikon Z7 II
Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6
500mm
ISO 500
f 5.6
1/1600 Second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #584 – Twilight Aurora

Photo: Twilight aurora over Myland, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. March 10, 2024. 20:29

It has been a sometimes difficult northern lights season so far this year. When I have more time, I will write a longer article about all the fake news of 2024/2025 being the ‘best aurora season in years,’ and the solar maximum, etc. At the moment, I only have the time to say: Don’t believe all the hype.

I was guiding every day in February without a single day off. And I must say it has been a tough winter this year. Hurricanes, wind, more wind, blizzards, rain, more rain, and even more rain. Though for the previous week we had an early glimpse of spring, with lots of sunshine and mild temperatures. Mild temperatures which means Lofoten has been low on snow for the last weeks, looking more like April or May than March. Which leads me to this weeks photo.

A German TV documentary crew was shooting a bit of footage about me and life on Lofoten, northern lights, ect. And this is supposed to be during winter – which at sea level, Lofoten is not looking very wintry at the moment. So, I decided to take them up to the mountains over my house, as at least that would provide a better winter landscape. Still a little tired from a long winter guiding season, I would have probably just spent the evening sitting around the house. So thankfully, I had the motivation to head up into the mountains, to a location that I’ve always thought to visit for aurora, but never actually done so.

And luckily for us, Miss Aurora cooperated as well, already showing up in the evening twilight of mid March. The aurora got much brighter as time passed, but I actually like this image of earlier in the night, with a little glow still on the northwestern horizon. Overall, it was a fantastic winter night in the mountains, and even more special to be looking down at my little village in the valley below.

Camera Info:
Nikon z8
Nikon 20mm f/1.8
20mm
ISO 1600
f 2
10 Seconds
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #572 – Winter Solstice

Photo: Christmas twilight over snow covered landscape, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. December 25, 2022

Today is the Winter Solstice – the shortest day of the year. But as Lofoten is in the middle of the polar night, and there is no daylight, it is simply the darkest ‘day’ of the year, with the sun reaching a maximum elevation of -0.87˚ below the horizon. And while there are many months of snow and winter ahead in the north, the sun will now rise higher in the sky for the next 6 months. I’m already looking forwards to the long summer days.

How dark the polar night is on Lofoten depends on a multitude of factors. The two most import for any given day are weather – cloud cover, and snow. A clear sky with fresh snow will be much brighter than heavy clouds and no snow. It sounds pretty obvious as I write it, of course it’s darker when cloudy. But when the brightest it gets is twilight, then a heavy layer of clouds can make quite a difference in the few hours of light which exist.

Location on the islands is also important. This image, taken on Christmas afternoon on a nice clear day is about as light as it gets on the Yttersia – the northern side of Lofoten during this time of year. Whereas if I were on the southern side of Lofoten, looking south across the Vestfjord, there would have been a nice colourful glow in the sky.

There are a few locations across Lofoten that have the best of both; fully open to the north for the midnight sun and south for colourful winter twilight. Having to choose though, I prefer the north and the midnight sun. It’s not like I’m going to spend a lot of time sitting in my backyard in the middle of winter anyhow, so I can survive a few months without direct sunlight. Or even better, head down to Spain!

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon z7 II
Nikon 24-120mm f/4
28mm
ISO 100
f 8
1/5 Second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #571 – Afternoon Blue Hour

Photo: December moon shines over Storsandnes beach, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. December 7, 2022. 14:26

A nice bright moon shines over Storsandnes beach at blue hour. It looks like sometime in the evening, but on the Lofoten Islands in December, the is 14:26 is the afternoon. This image is taken one hour after last week’s image (Friday Photo #570), and there is quite a difference. Looking at the images for this article, I actually thought they had been taken on different days, not merely an hour apart.

Now a week into the polar night, if I were to shoot this image on today’s date, December 15, I would need to do so about a half hour earlier, so around 14:00. The polar night will continue to deepen for another week until the winter solstice next Friday, and which point the sun will have reached its lowest point below the (midday) southern horizon. The next time the day will have this equivalent light again is January 6, just as the sun crosses the horizon again. That’s enough numbers and dates for today.

I always like this blue hour light during winter. Even without the moon, on clear and cold days, there is a period where it seems as if the mountains are glowing from within. It is hard to photograph correctly, but if you are on Lofoten, it can seem as if the mountains get brighter as the light fades. I guess this technically just has to due with relative contrast of the white mountains against the deep blue sky, but it feels like a special light when it happens.

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon z8
Nikon 14-30mm f/4
25mm
ISO 100
f 11
1/5 Second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #563 – Light And Cloud

Photo: Rays of light shine over the distant mountains of Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. October 4, 2023. 16:25

While every landscape photographer dreams of colourful sunrises and sunsets during their travels, the weather often works against us. Even more so on Lofoten this autumn with a near constant layer of low clouds and rain covering the islands for weeks on end. When the horizon is fully enveloped in the next waves of rain swept in by a cold north wind, it is time to look for other options.

Fortunately, other options exist on Lofoten. The dynamic light of backlit clouds actually requires the stormy and rainy weather which is often present in autumn. With the quickly moving in the variable weather, the trick is attempting to predict where you want the light to fall, and then waiting for the right moment to hopefully arrive – which is still not guaranteed. But on rainy days like this cold and blustery day in early October, there is a high chance of such conditions.

It is important not to wait too late in the day, because as the sun gets lower on the horizon, it is more likely to become fully concealed behind the clouds. You will often have better looking shooting towards a more distant background, as this gives you a better chance of having the backlit rainy clouds pass between you and your intended background. The closer your intended subject, the more exact the passing of the rain and gaps in the clouds must be, making a higher miss rate – although for a potentially more dramatic image should conditions come together perfectly. But on a day like this and out with a group, I knew there was a pretty good chance for some interesting light if we positioned ourselves near Vareid while looking towards the distant mountains of Moskenesøy rising over Fredvang.

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon z8
Nikon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6
165mmmm
ISO 100
f 5.6
1/400 Second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #560 – Autumn Storms

Photo: Waves crash over the rocks at Nesland in September autumn storm, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. September 22, 2021. 15:15

Another storm has passed Lofoten this week with canceled ferries and my house shaking in the wind, making sounds I haven’t heard since the end of winter. It is evident that this year’s warm and dry summer is over and the September storms are making up for lost time and the lack of rain. No one knows what next week will bring, but it looks like there is storm after storm lined up across the north Atlantic, with the eventual destination of the Norwegian coast and Lofoten. Earlier in the month I had been over in Sweden for my usual autumn hiking, but even the wet weather reached across the border so I gave up my plans after just 40km – no point walking in the rain with a heavy backpack for 2 weeks if I can’t even see the mountain tops. I flew south to Spain instead.

As stormy as the sea in Lofoten often is, one thing the landscape here is missing is a good set of sea cliffs. Cliffs where the winter swells pound into a wall of rock, sending the sea high into the air – and often completely soaking my if I’m out photographing. Scotland, or even Spain is better for this, and I have much more impressive stormy seascape images from these countries. On Lofoten, the coastline is slightly sloping for the most part – at least the easily accessible areas. And so while there are plenty of days where the waves are crashing over the rocks and high up the shoreline, it doesn’t quite have the same dramatic affect of a huge open ocean swell running into a vertical wall of rock. But I guess one location can’t have everything!

If you are traveling to Lofoten from now until the springtime, it is always a good idea to check the weather on any travel days, as ferries, planes, buses, bridges, and roads can be canceled or closed whenever the wind blows a little too much.

For more information on road safety, you can see my article: Winter Driving

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon Z7 II
Nikon 24-200 f/4-6.3
27mm
ISO 31
f 14
1 Second
WB Daylight

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