Photo: Sand patters bubble up on Skagsanden beach, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. February 26, 2020. 07:42

I was looking for a different image to post this week when I noticed I had never shared this one before. It’s actually one of my favourite images of the unique sand patters that can form on Skagsanden beach – the sand patters are common, but finding them in good photographic conditions is less common. On this morning I was lucky that the beach was free from seaweed and no one had yet walked through the scene. Even for myself, I approach these scenes slowly, so I don’t put footprints or tripod holes in my own image.

Skagsanden beach is somewhat unique on Lofoten in that the white sand of the beach often has lines and patterns formed from darker sand which flows down from a river coming from the mountains behind the beach. In this image, you can see the water of the river bubbling up through the beach sand to the surface, which then form the darker patterns in the sand when the water flows away. It’s a little bit like panning for gold, as the different rock types have slightly different densities.

Usually these more intense patters and designs form at the back of the beach, where all the seaweed and debris is also continually washed up, leaving a chaotic and messy scene. For whatever reason on this morning, the water was flowing much lower on the beach in the clean section of low-tide sand. It almost looks like an alien head or some kind of weird caterpillar.

Camera Info:
Nikon D850
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
ISO 31
f13
2 Seconda
WB Daylight

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: 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: 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