Friday Photo #590 – Northern Lights Over Nappstraumen

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Photo: Northern Lights swirl in the sky over Himmeltindan, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. January 19, 2024. 23:38

The nights are now no longer fully dark on Lofoten, and that means the northern lights season has come to an end. But don’t worry, it will be back soon as the next season begins already in late August, only 4 months away.

For Lofoten, the northern lights season is roughly: August 20 – April 20

Last year, the season started early for me and my first aurora sighting was in the early morning hours of August 19 while on Værøy. This was the earliest in the year I’ve seen northern lights on Lofoten.

Overall, I spent much of the autumn and winter traveling down south in Germany, Scotland, and Spain. So I was gone for most of the first half of aurora season here on Lofoten, and I know I missed some good nights! Luckily I was also around for some good nights, the best two being December 1 and March 3 while guiding on Senja.

It was also a difficult winter at times, with lots of cloudy weather over Lofoten, and, despite all the media hype about the approaching solar maximum, a largely quiet sun for much of January and February. So even when the clouds parted, there was not always something to see.

This image, from January 19, was one of three nights of clear sky and moderately active northern lights. I was mostly focused on getting the 5th edition of Seasons on Lofoten – Winter eBook out before the start of the winter photography season, so I didn’t travel from home. But luckily I don’t have to go too far for a decent image light this one.

Camera Info:
Nikon Z8
Nikon 20mm f/1.8
20mm
ISO 200
f 2
2.5 Seconds
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #587 – 12 Seasons

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Photo: Snow blows across Haukland beach, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. March 24, 2024. 08:59

There is somewhat of a joke about Lofoten actually having 12 seasons during the year, instead of 4. And you can probably guess already, that most of the additional seasons are due to the long winters, and our optimistic hope that a nice and calm sunny day might mean winter is finally over. But nope, it isn’t over…

The 12 seasons of Lofoten are:
Winter
Fool’s Spring
Second Winter
Spring of Deception
Third Winter
Allergy Season
Real Spring
Summer-ish
Actual Summer
False Autumn
Second Summer
Actual Autumn

Today’s photo of a snowy Haukland beach at the end of March is when Second winter made a return. Just a few days earlier the landscape of Lofoten looked hopeless and dry, and largely barren of snow. On the calmer, sunny days it was even enough to walk around in a sweatshirt most of the time. Fool’s spring.

Now the temperatures have dropped and the coldest day of the last month was -9.5˚c on March 28. Good news for all the ski tourists here for the long Easter holiday week. Bad news for everyone else that is waiting for the first signs of green and the long days of summer.

Now with the long days of April, Winter is long from over here on Lofoten, and the snow will likely continue to fall for the next weeks and into May. Eventually the snow will stop falling and we’ll have Spring here in the north, yet never quite sure if another Winter is waiting around the corner.

Camera Info:
Nikon z8
Nikon 14-30mm f/4
16mm
ISO 200
f 8
1/200 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #580 – Flying to Lofoten

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Photo: Widerøe flight coming in for landing at Leknes in winter, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. February 25, 2023. 13:21

Flying into Lofoten during winter can sometimes be an adventure! On days with strong winds, the little Widerøe planes can almost feel more like helicopters than airplanes, as there approach and landing can be so steep to the short runway of Leknes.

There has been ongoing debate for years and years about building a larger airport for Lofoten, capable of accepting landings from international flights, but so far it seems like no one in Lofoten can decide on where or should go, or even if they want it at all. Personally, I like the adventure of the short hop across the Vestfjord from Bodø. Though admittedly, cheaper travel options without driving 3.5 hours east to Evenes would be nice as well on occasion.

It had been my intention for a while to get an image of a flight approaching Leknes just for an article or ebook updates. Yet somehow I never manage to do so. Usually I’m driving into town and see the plane coming in to land and think to myself I need to take a picture the next day. And then I instantly forget about it until I’m driving a day or two later and see another plane.

This image I only managed because there was a slight delay in arrival as I was waiting to pick up my next group of clients for a photo workshop. While not the most interesting light, I like the scale of the plane against Skottind mountain. It almost makes things look more dramatic than what is just a 690 meter mountain.

You can find more Lofoten travel info in the article: Getting to Lofoten

Camera Info:
Nikon z7 II
Nikon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6
400mm
ISO 200
f 5.6
1/1600 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #579 – Stornappstind

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Photo: Morning light on the summit of Stornappstind from Nappstraumen, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. February 22, 2023. 07:54

The highest mountain on the eastern edge of Flakstadøy, Stornappstind (literally: Big Napp mountain) catches the first morning light during mid to late winter sunrises, when the sun is rising over the flatter areas of western Vestvågøy. Though this location is only 10 minutes from my front door, I tend to only visit when guiding workshops when staying down the road at Ballstad; ironically, further away than my house. Though I guess I don’t go out for sunrise too much on my own when I’m not guiding and have to wake up so early. Personally, I much prefer the late nights of summer’s midnight sun!

The location is not always accessible, particularly after a heavy snow, as the parking area is down as small hill that is unmaintained during winter. So access is also weather dependent and often when I think the shoreline would be the best looking with a fresh layer of snow one can’t actually get there. But other times, such as this image at low tine, there can be some scenic foregrounds to find.

I do also find the mountain itself almost too symmetrical, and a little difficult to frame. I this image I wanted to include the full cloud which was above the mountain. Had the cloud not been there, I think I would have moved the mountain a little higher in the composition, or perhaps zoomed in a little more. While I like this image, I think everything feels a little too centred and the mountain too distant.

Camera Info:
Nikon z7 II
Nikon 20mm f/1.8
20mm
ISO 2000
f 1.8
1/25 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #578 – Eye Of Uttakleiv

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Photo: Sea foam conceals the famous ‘Eye of Uttakleiv’ at Uttakleiv beach, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. February 28, 2023. 15:32

With these Friday photo posts I generally like to highlight locations in their best conditions. But the best conditions often don’t exist – especially so in winter! Today’s image is the famous ‘Eye of Uttakleiv’ or ‘Dragon’s Eye’ in less than ideal conditions. So bad, that if you were walking here for the first time and looking for the Eye, you might actually think you were in the wrong location altogether.

This is the right location and the Eye is in the middle of the image, it is just hidden by a layer of sea foam whipped up by the waves and wind. If shooting the Eye was on your list of images for Lofoten, then a day like this would be a waste of time and you’d be better off visiting locations with work better in stormier conditions. Although, other than the Eye, Uttakleiv beach is one of my favorite locations for stormy weather, so it is still a location worth visiting in such conditions.

Camera Info:
Nikon z7 II
Nikon 14-30mm f/4
18mm
ISO 31
f 11
0.5 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #577 – Unstad Beach

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Photo: Waves flow over Unstad beach, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. January 26, 2023. 14:22

I am not sure how many times I have stood on Unstad beach over the last decade, probably a lot! And though I’m a little more picky with light and conditions these days, it is always a favorite location for me to take my winter photography groups. The beach seems to always have a nice variety of potential images, no matter what conditions are present.

One of my favorite interpretations of the beach is the outflowing water over the the rocks which form the border zone between the sandy beach and the boulder beach. With constant change from the shifting sands, tide, waves, and weather, the location usually has something new to offer while keeping a similar motif.

On this day, with passing snow showers in the distance, the flowing water over the rocks offered a nice foreground contrast to help show the storminess of the day.

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 14-30mm f/4
16mm
ISO 64
f 10
1.3 Seconds
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #575 – Southern Sun

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Photo: Midday sun low on the southern horizon over Nappstraumen, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. November 29, 2023. 12:26

The last sun and first sun of each winter follow the same cycle – with the sun’s lowest point on the winter solstice. Equal time before or after the solstice and the sun will follow the same path through the sky. So the sun in this picture from late November last year will be in the same location as today, nearly two months later. The only difference being that the days in November are getting shorter, while in January they are growing.

The weather itself is not too much different between November and January. And the past couple years it seems November has quite cold, dry, and stable weather, making it quite a nice winter month actually. And in turn, the last couple Januaries have been stormy and wet – with January 2023 being particularly terrible!

It is too early to say what this winter will bring. Hopefully it is cold and calm, with a nice dusting of fresh snow every few days. But one this is certain: the days are getting longer. That is the only real predicable element of the seasons on Lofoten. Anything else is just luck and chance.

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
15mm
ISO 100
f 13
1/30 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #574 – Return Of The Sun

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Photo: The sun is back! Low January sun partially over horizon over the Vestfjord, Ballstad, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. 12:30

After a month below the horizon the sun is now (partially) shining again over Lofoten But… When we will first see the sun again is entirely up to the weather. As you can see here with a lucky perfectly clear horizon on January 5th, thus sun is only halfway over the sea and any small layer of clouds would have blocked it out for hour it was visible.

Last year was the earliest I’ve ever seen my ‘first sunlight’ of the year, which was actually the day before this on January 4th while in Reine – with is also near the southern most latitude of Lofoten, so the sun is visible a little earlier there. But two days in a row of first sunlight is pretty special and rare. Usually it takes a week or so, and my longest ever wait was January 18th.

It was a cold east wind blowing on this day and a sun only halfway across the horizon isn’t defiantly not providing any warmth! Though perhaps you could say the warmth of color in the sky was enjoyed by the eyes. The days will still be short for the next weeks and it is this time of year that you can still feel like you are far north in the arctic, while still enjoying a couple hours of sunlight each day. By February, the days will begin to feel ‘normal’ with the sun higher in the sky, and then already by March I’ll have to set my morning alarm clock to a painfully early time to take my groups out for sunrise.

But I enjoy this time of year of the return of the sun much better than I do the countdown of the sun’s departure in November and early December. I is nicer to know more light is on the way with each passing day, than the opposite – that the polar night is coming.

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 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6
250mm
ISO 100
f 7.1
1/320 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #573 – Winter Vikjordtinden

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Photo: Vikjordtinden mountain peak rises into the cold twilight of the arctic polar night, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. December 28, 2020. 13:19

Even starting by headlamp in the morning darkness is often not enough to reach some summits during the polar night. Even more slow with slow progress though deep snow and rocky hillsides. Add in a layer of heavy clouds, and this is what it looks like by early afternoon. Our goal of the day was the mountain in this picture, Vikfjordtind, but it was obvious we would not summit until well after dark. So we turned around.

An icy cold east wind also helped in the decision to turn around and the sky became more ominous looking with time. Even from this middle high point, it was still several cold hours back to the van, navigating the last sections of frozen bog by headlamp.

With a heavy backpack full of camera gear, I also find it a little hard to keep motivated in weather when I’m not likely to get many photos. And while it’s nice to reach the summit, my many goal is always just to take an interesting photo, wherever on the mountain that might be. I actually figured this photo of the mountain would likely be more interesting than a photo from the mountain. Though I haven’t been back since this only attempt on Vikjordtind, perhaps I’ll choose sometime in summer or autumn for another try.

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

Camera Info:
Nikon D850
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
36mm
ISO 100
f 10
1.3 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #570 – December Reflection

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Photo: Afternoon December sunset over Stornappstind and the beginning of the polar night, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. December 7, 2022. 13:20

If you were just to arrive on Lofoten today, it would feel dark! But in reality, it has already felt dark for some weeks and it is rare that I will have seen the sun in the last days, as even a small layer of clouds is enough for it to hide behind. Last year was actually the latest I have seen the sun for the year, December 11, while I was on the summit of Reinebringen (Friday Photo #519) – The elevation in mountains add a couple more days.

There still remains some twilight in the hours around midday, especially in parts of Lofoten overlooking the Vestfjorden to the south. And with the right conditions there can be some nice color as well. But by early afternoon, it will be night again.

By the time this photo was taken at 13:20 the sun will already have sunk below the horizon and the last color will begin to fade from the sky. Not usually to light and color you see in the middle of the day, but on Lofoten in winter, midday photography can be quite nice!

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
59mm
ISO 100
f 7.1
1/13 Second
WB Daylight