Photo:  Morning at Hamnøy, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  February 14, 2014.  08:46

This is the first image from my recent Lofoten trip.  All in all I was on the islands from February 1 – 15 and February 26 – March 8.  A long trip!  It was an odd, nearly snow-less winter, which was at sometimes somewhat disappointing.  But it was also quite a productive trip for me, and I think the absence of expected conditions lead me to an overall greater diversity in the images I have returned with, a few of which might be some of my strongest images of the islands yet.

But to start, here is an image from the somewhat ‘common’ view point of Hamnøy, taken from the bridge.  For this part of the trip I was traveling with several other photographers from Australia and in a change from my normal accommodation of either the back of my rental car, tent, or hostel at Stamsund, I was treated to the luxury of staying at Eliassen Rorbuer, Located here on Hamnøy.  Meaning, in my laziness, this image was only a short walk from the front door, not bad!

It was also the morning where I was headed out to Bunes beach, and with the late sunrise of mid February, I didn’t have much time to wander away before I had to be in Reine to catch the morning ferry to Vindstad.

You can also see how little snow was present on the islands.  Normally I’m used to some periods of rain during my winter photo tours where the snow line will creep up the mountains a but.  But this year was something new all together!  There seemed to be less snow than my April/May trip last year.  But even with the lack of snow, I still find this a pleasant image.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24mm f/3.5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 100
f 8
20 seconds
WB Daylight
2 images – top, bottom

Photo: Abandoned Rorbu, Vestvalen, near Reine, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  Feb 17, 2017.  17:19

I posted a different version of this building a few months ago.  While I had been familiar with the location for many years, and had shot images from the building, I had never taken any images of the building, until this evening.

The last moments of light combined with low, heavy clouds provided the perfect atmosphere to accompany this abandoned rorbu for a scene that I waited years to come across.  I like to think I have seen everything Lofoten has to offer, but I have come nowhere close! Nearly every moment of every day is different, week after week, month after month, year after year.  I have rarely come across the same conditions in the same place twice.  One of the reason I never get bored with the islands; they are always changing!

While I don’t often tend to shoot architecture, this evening was perfect for this building.  Even to the detail of the mountain emerging from the clouds in the background.  I only had a short amount of time and then the sky opened up for the remainder of the night.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24mm f/3.5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 100
f 8
20 sec
WB Daylight
2 images – top, bottom

Photo: Olstind Winter panoramic, near Reine, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  Feb 6, 2012.  16:10

Every time I travel to Lofoten I try and remind myself that I already have enough images of Olstind.  And yet every time I am there, Osltind provides me with something new, whether I want it or not.  And so, like sailers lured by the sirens, I find myself hopping across the rocks on the edge of the fjord, drawn towards Osltind.  The perfect mountain.

This particular day had been calm and cold.  The surface of the fjord began to freeze and the ice made an eerie sound as it gently broke against the rocks a few inches from my feet.  The sky was not quite what I was hoping, and the light a bit flat in the day’s final moments.  But with near perfectly still water, the reflection was perfect.

Camera Info:
Nikon D700
Nikon 24mm f/3.5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 200
f 8
.3 sec
WB Daylight
3 images – left, right, middle

Photo: Winter twilight, Å I Lofoten, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  Jan 6, 2010.  15:14

The first day of my January 2010 trip was finally coming to an end as I followed the light to the end of the road at Å I Lofoten.  And from there, proceeded to walk to the edge of the sea where the final glow of the short winter day was still holding onto a bit of life.

This location has become one of my favorite winter sunset spots over the last few years as the between January and early February the sun sets near the end of Lofoten in the distance.  Combined with a multitude of compositions, depending on how good the snow is, or not, it is a location that I usually walk away with something decent from.

Alone, as seemingly at the end of the world, I stayed out here until near darkness, wishing the light would last just a little bit longer.

Camera Info:
Nikon D700
Nikon 24mm f/3.5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 100
f 11
20 sec
WB Daylight
2 images – top, bottom