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Friday Photo #265 – Ryten Aurora

Ryten Aurora - Friday Photo #265

Photo: Aurora over Fuglhuken from Ryten, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. March 2, 2017. 20:03

I’ve already posted another image from this night: Friday Photo #218. So if you read that you already know that I was supposed to have gone skiing with some friends, but saw the aurora forecast and changed my mind at the last moment, eventually making my way up Ryten in the fading twilight.

While the main aurora display was off to the right of this image, it didn’t have the best composition. So after shooting that for a while, I looked for something else. Important tip – never get too focused on the aurora themselves that you forget to move and shoot different compositions. I see this happening a lot when I’m out, people just standing shooting the same image 1000 times. Yes, the aurora moves, but so should you!

So even without the brightest of the aurora, I felt this image had a stronger overall composition, and is something I likely would have photographed if the aurora were replaced with clouds. At 14mm, my lens still wasn’t wide enough to capture enough foreground the anchor the image, while also capturing enough of the sky. So shot two images, one for the foreground and one for the sky – same setting for each image. Later after merging, I cropped to 4:5, which I have become quite fond of over the last years. Perhaps it’s only memories from shooting film on a 4:5 camera back in the day.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
14mm
ISO 2000
f 3.2
10 seconds
WB Daylight
2 images – foreground, sky

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Friday Photo #264 – Winter Sun

Vindstad Winter Sun - Friday Photo #264

Photo: February sun low on the horizon just after sunrise, Vindstad, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. February 7, 2017. 09:09

A month after the sun has returned to Lofoten the days are beginning to feel normal and the dark days of the past weeks are quickly forgotten. And while the sun rises higher each day and is quickly approaching the east, there still remains many locations on Lofoten with receive little to no direct sunlight – still in the shadows of the surrounding mountains.

From this location, on the low mountain pass between Vindstad and Bunes beach, early February brings about 45 minutes of sun at sunrise before disappearing behind Reinebringen. Camping out there for several nights, I would begin my mornings on the right side of this image, where the sun would first hit. But soon, the mountain shadows would approach and I’d have to relocate towards the left of the scene, until eventually the sun was gone.

Another week or so later and the sun would have bee sufficiently high to shine on this location for most of the day. Though on Lofoten, there is often a compromise. With the trade off for more hours of sunlight, the sunrise itself will begin to occur too far to the east (left side of the photo), and thus not be visible from this location until the sun was higher in the sky. Always something to think about when choosing a sunrise/set location on the opposite side of the islands with mountains in between.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
14mm
ISO 200
f 13
1/30 second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #263 – April Is Still Winter

April Is Winter - Friday Photo #263

Photo: April is still winter here – deep snow and strong winds high up on Mengelsdalstind, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. April 13, 2017. 12:52

I have been receiving a lot of emails lately about ‘spring’ hiking on Lofoten. And by spring, most people are using continental weather as their reference, meaning April and May. Though the nights are no longer fully dark, April is still full winter here in the north. And while the coasts begin to thaw in May, it is still ski season in the higher mountains.

Even in June, snow will still be a dominant factor most years in many of the inland mountain areas – and especially in east Lofoten.

If you are thinking of hiking the mountains here anytime before mid June, then I suggest reading my Winter Hiking article first.

Mengelsdalstind wasn’t the objective of this trip. But first we had to cross the summit of this 826 meter peak, then descend the back side to reach our target peak in an isolated and obscure part of Moskenesøy. After a mostly calm night camped on a narrow snow ledge at Ågskaret, the wind had really picked up this morning as we ascended the narrow ridge through often deep snow. With my backpack 27kg backpack full of climbing gear and 5 days worth of food, it was exhausting work.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
15mm
ISO 100
f 9
1/800 second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #261 – New Year

New Year - Friday Photo #261

Photo: Descending towards Vindstad, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. April 9, 2017

Welcome to 2018! Well, the first post of the year at least. I probably should have come up with something bigger and more important to say this week, as last week’s post (#260) was the completion of 5 years of these Friday Photos. Not too bad if I can pat myself on the back.

It has been quite a journey since then, and if you asked me back then if I thought I would be living in my own house, in one of my favorite places on Lofoten. I would have told you you were crazy! But here I am, listening to the wind and snow shake my house on this dark Friday afternoon – Though I did manage to get my 2nd ski tour of the year in today, so off to a good start!

So hopefully the rest of 2018 continues at this pace. But in the darkness of the last months, and with the avalanche issues and road closures, photography has taken a bit of a 2nd seat to just keeping moving and living a more ‘normal life.’ Though with a busy tour season coming up over the next months, I’ll be out for plenty of sunrises, sunsets, and northern lights. And not to jinx myself, but this winter is already off to a much better start than last year’s. Lets hope it continues.

After a weekend in the hidden valley, and with a storm quickly approaching it was time to return to Vindstad and catch the ferry back to civilization. What had been deep snow on out ascent, had turned to a wind blown and icy hard snow on the steepest, upper section of the pass. This is why I always carry crampons in winter, even if the slope might otherwise not be overly steep and can be easily ascended/descended under regular conditions. Luckily for my knees, the hard stuff didn’t last too long, then it was time to sit down and slide on my ass the rest of the 400 meters to the sea. I should have brought skis, it would have been a good run!

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
19mm
ISO 160
f 8
1/400 seconds
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #252 – Aurora Camping

Aurora Camping - Friday Photo #252

Photo: September northern lights camping under full moon, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. September 8, 2017. 01:25

…Continuing on from last weeks Friday Photo #251. This is now a bit later in the evening. I had begun to crawl back into my tent when the aurora began to fade. Luckily I wasn’t in a hurry, because that was the moment the lights really began to get active.

Unfortunately though, clouds had also come to take over a large part of the sky, inhibiting many of my potential compositions. Needing something in the foreground, my tent was the only real thing I had available. Though it was also on this night I realised I should bring 2 headlamps – 1 for the tent, and 1 for me so I don’t walk off a cliff in the dark!

I shot numerous different compositions, however, I think I like this one, with the bright moon, the best.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
14mm
ISO 1000
f 3.2
2 seconds
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #251 – Horseid Aurora

Horseid Aurora - Friday Photo #251

Photo: Northern Lights over Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. September 8, 2017. 00:27

I already posted a photo from this trip last month for Friday Photo #247, the night after this while down on the beach itself. The first night I headed up high, in hopes over Aurora over Horseid from above. I was somewhat successful.

In my mind I have a continually growing list of images that I would like to take. Normally it’s when I’m standing on some mountain and think to myself, ‘wouldn’t it be cool to be here if such and such happened.’ Some of these ideas I’ve had in my head for years, just waiting for the right opportunity and conditions. And only since moving here full time have I been able to dedicated a little more time to these ideas, as they take much more time and luck that I could commit to on a 2-3 week trip where I would need to focus on more productive endeavours. Northern Lights over Horseid beach has been one of these images.

Good weather forecast, (almost) full moon, and a solar storm were the conditions that drove me up here. But even as I boarded the ferry from Reine, I wasn’t quite sure where I would go: should I play it safe, and go somewhere where I had a higher chance of a good image, and still something quite unique for Lofoten. Or should I take a bigger gamble, where I could perhaps completely miss things all together. I chose to gamble.

The aurora started early, even before the sky was dark. But they were mostly faint. And in what had been forecasted clear skies, a layer of clouds was approaching. Shit! The moon soon rose and illuminated the beach far below me, adding much needed contrast to the otherwise dark scene. The aurora came and went in waves, but nothing too brilliant.

Content I had something decent, at least for a first attempt at this image, I returned to my tent. Clouds now began to fill more and more of the sky. As I was walking in circles while brushing my teeth, the aurora erupted overhead. I quickly went back to shooting, but I could already see that the sky above the beach was mostly filled with clouds, blocking the aurora there. So I made the best of the conditions and started shooting my tent instead (perhaps I’ll post that image soon).

If I had a time machine, I would stayed on the beach the first night, and camped up here the 2nd. But even so, it was a productive two nights, both of which created some unique images! And, even better, I have plenty of time to go back and try again – maybe even for a winter version…

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
14mm
ISO 1250
f 3.2
8 second
WB Daylight
2 images – top, bottom

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Friday Photo #247 – Aurora Over Horseid

Horseid Aurora - Friday Photo #247

Photo: Northern lights over Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. September 8, 2017. 22:38

Clear sky, full moon, mild temperatures and solar storm. The aurora season this year was off to a good start! But with seemly perfect conditions for something good, I found myself stuck with option paralysis.

I knew I should go west, but where? Someplace safe and easy, where I knew I had a good shot at a decent image. Or should I gamble a bit more, go someplace new, and hope for the best. Walking up the to window to buy my ferry ticket, I said Kirkefjord. One choice less now.

With two nights of good conditions forecast, I chose first to head up a mountain above Horseid, with hopes of photographing the aurora above the beach. Unfortunately, as night arrived, so did clouds. I managed some images of mild aurora over the beach, but by the time things really got going after 01:00, that part of the sky was almost completely cloudy.

As morning arrived, I thought about staying up the mountain for another night. But my empty water bottles and strengthening wind forced me down. And so I headed down to Horseid beach for another night, and another attempt.

Almost completely opposite to the previous night, the aurora started bright and early! Once I saw the first signs of light, I quickly dressed and ran down to the beach as the sky erupted overhead. I barely had time to level my camera and focus, much less worry about keeping my feet dry as I hurried to the shore line.

The aurora danced in every direction, but I was interest in once place in particular: The view back over the pass to Kirkefjord. Almost perfectly symmetrical, it is a favorite composition of mine. Aurora overhead would make it even better.

I shot at the beach for some time, but soon, almost like a switch being turned off, the sky grew quiet. I went to another location – the place I should have actually gone to first, but it was more difficult to find in the dark – and waited. But the sky remained silent. After a while, the cold wind suggested I head back to my tent.

I lay awake for several more hours, staring at the sky. Faint aurora danced around from time to time, but nothing strong enough to lure me from the warmth of my sleeping bag.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
21mm
ISO 1600
f 3.5
4 seconds
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #245- Midnight Glow

Midnight Glow - Friday Photo #245

Photo: Midnight sun shines between mountain peaks, Helvetestind, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 14, 2017. 00:17

On my second trip to Helvetestind in two weeks, Conditions were totally different on this night. A heavy fog was blowing in from the north. Bunes beach has been completely concealed and was invisible from above.

As we descended at midnight, I could see this glow of light shining between Mereflesstind and Kråkhammartind over Kirkefjord. I light layer of fog was blowing in, glowing in the low light of the midnight sun.

I found a place along the ridge that I though gave a nice separation to the layers of mountains ahead of me. Rather than shooting wide, I switched to my 70-200 so I could focus just on the light coming from behind the mountains.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 70-200mm f/4
120mm
ISO 200
f 9
1/400 second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #244 – Olstind Twilight

Olstind - Friday Photo #244

Photo: Olstind mountain peak reflects in fjord, Sakrisøy, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 14, 2017. 02:11

My fried Olaf dropped my tour group off at Sakrisøy after a midnight trip up Helvetestind – my second time to the summit in two weeks.

A sea fog had been covering all the land to the north but back on the south side, the world was calm. Tired after a long day, we decided one more shot was needed.

I’ve photographed Olstind hundreds of times by now for almost every possible angle. But it is still a peak which I never grow tired of. And so I pulled out my camera and tripod for yet another photo of this iconic mountain.

I like the softness of the light here. It was ‘sunrise’ but it doesn’t really appear so. If the fjord was not perfectly calm, perhaps I wouldn’t have taken the image. But it was so quiet out, just us standing at the edge of the sea – and a few birds making some noise in the distance.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
24mm
ISO 200
f 10
1/80 second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #243 – Bunes View

Bunes Beach - Friday Photo #243

Photo: View over Bunes beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. July 21, 2017. 22:08

Another weekend in the west. The original plan had been a somewhat ambitious climb above Vindstad. But as we made the first moves up the route, it was evident that it was more than we bargained for on this day – something to come back to in early winter when the grass is frozen and we can use ice tools.

Not wanting to head back to camp totally defeated, we headed towards some unknown peak on the opposite side of the ridge. And what a view it turned out to be! I had never even heard the name of this mountain before, nor even given the slightest thought to hiking it, it is not the easiest place to reach though. But wow.

A golden eagle flew from the summit as I made the final approach up the rocky steps.

Heading down, we decided to stay on the ridge. Where this view is from. Always looking forward to the future, I spotted a few places where a tent might be possible. This view with northern lights above!

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
16mm
ISO 125
f 10
1/40 second
WB Daylight

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