• Lofoten Photo Tour - Exploring Winter 2017

LOFOTEN OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP

EXPLORING WINTER

MARCH 10 – 16, 2017

Lofoten in winter. A time when waves wash over snow covered beaches and northern lights fill the sky above jagged, icy peaks rising directly from the sea. A place where the mountains can glow pink from sunrise to sunset, or where dark clouds herald the arrival of a fierce storm. The villages, with their scenic Rorbu cabins precariously placed on rocky outcrops, the sea lapping at their feet.

This workshop is specifically timed around the last full moon of the winter aurora season to provide the best light conditions should we be lucky to have the northern lights dance across the sky for us. However, with nearly 12 hours of daylight, we will have plenty of time to explore hidden winter landscapes of the islands, and venture away from the roads to places where to only footprints in the snow will be out own.

The workshop’s guiding and instruction will be provided by Cody Duncan.

For booking or questions:

workshops@codyduncan.com

WORKSHOP DETAILS AND ARRIVAL

Group size: 4 participants + guide

Accommodation: We will split the workshop between two locations: Sakrisøy, on Moskenesøy, and Leknes, on Vestvågøy.

The workshop will officially begin in Leknes at 14:00 on Friday, March 10 and end in Leknes at 12:00 on Thursday, March 16. Pickup/drop-off will be available at the airport and in the city center.

Physical Ability: The tour is open to all ability levels, but please note that winter on Lofoten generally involves lots of snow and ice. We will make short walks to beaches and potentially hike up small 100-200 meter hills if the group is interested.

Getting to Lofoten: From within Europe, SAS airlines offers travel to Lofoten from a multitude of destinations. From North America, Norwegian airlines offers good value flights to Norway from the west and east coasts, however flights to Lofoten will have to be booked via SAS/Widerøe airlines. For more travel information, see: Getting to Lofoten

PRICING AND BOOKING

Workshop price: 2350 Euros (21,500 NOK)

Deposit: 650 Euros

Payment will be made in Norwegian NOK, for the amount of 21,500 NOK.

The deposit is required to reserve your place on the workshop. Deposit is non refundable. Full payment is due 60 days before workshop.

Payments will be made by bank transfer.

Please note: Before booking any travel to Lofoten, make sure you have paid your deposit for the trip.

For booking or questions, contact:

workshops@codyduncan.com

ITINERARY

Day 1 – Arrival

You will be picked up in early afternoon in Leknes. With sunset occurring around 18:00, we will have some time to explore and visit a beach or two as we slowly make our way west to our accommodation in the scenic yellow rorbu cabins on Sakrisøy.

Days 2 – 3

Allowing for flexibility of local weather conditions, we will spend these days focusing on the western areas of Lofoten. We will shoot sunrises in Reine, with the iconic peak of Olstind rising from the fjord in front of us. We will seek out unique areas of the coast to capture waves crashing against jagged rocks. We will visit Å, the last village on Lofoten, where we will watch the sun disappear behind distant mountains.

We also have the fantastic beaches of Flakstadøy just a short drive away, where there is always an opportunity to shoot something interesting, especially with the textures formed by a layer of black sand on Skagsanden beach. Further east we also have the beaches of Myrland and Storsandnes, with an endless amount of locations in-between.

Days 4 – 6

Leaving our base at Sakrisøy, we head east to Leknes on Vestvågøy, in the center of Lofoten. From here we will focus our attention on the scenic beaches of Uttakleiv, Haukland, and Vik, which we will hopefully find covered in a fresh layer of snow. We will go on some short walks to get to lesser know view points and explore some other hidden areas of the island.

Day 7 – Departure

The tour ends at 12:00 with your departure from Leknes airport.

Nights

This tour is specifically planned around the full moon to provide the most ideal northern lights shooting conditions – weather dependent of course! At night we will keep watch for the arrival of the northern lights. Each of our accommodation locations has numerous views within the nearby area, so If we are lucky with aurora on numerous nights, we will be able to photograph a number of different compositions.

Flexibility

The nature of winter on Lofoten requires a great deal of flexibility to the local conditions once on the Islands. Cody will use his knowledge and experience of Lofoten to provide the group with the best experience possible.

Food

Meals are not included in this workshop. We can decided as a group whether we want to taste local cuisine in restaurants or cook meals ourselves. We will buy supplies for breakfasts and lunch, but always have the option of stopping for a bite to eat as we travel around the islands.

WORKSHOP PRICE INCLUDES

Accommodation – 6 nights accommodation on Lofoten

All transportation on Lofoten, including Leknes airport pickup and drop off in large passenger van.

Professional photography and location guiding by Cody Duncan.

Complimentary downloads of Cody Duncan’s eBooks: Seasons on Lofoten – Winter, Seasons on Lofoten – Summer, Beaches of Lofoten.

NOT INCLUDED

Air travel to and from Leknes.

Meals – We will have the option of cooking as a group, or eating in local restaurants

Insurance: travel insurance in mandatory for this trip. Tour guides and trip organizers will use their best knowledge to keep all participants safe, but will not be held responsible for any personal or equipment injury which might occur. Insurance needs to cover any emergency medical treatment and transport, related to the tour or not, which may occur.

Micro spike type device for shoes/boots are required. We will often be in the vicinity of ice and snow. These will help keep you on your feet.

Alcoholic drinks.

Anything else not mentioned as included.

WHAT TO BRING

Photography Gear

You will need a camera bag which is suitable for mountain hiking. This means it should not be overly heavy, while having enough room to carry your camera gear, extra clothing and some food/water.

Camera – Any camera welcome, but a full frame DSLR or mirrorless camera with manual mode will give you the best performance.
Tripod – A light tripod that you are able to take hiking is preferred.
Lenses – A selection of lenses from 14 to 200mm is recommended.
Filters – This is somewhat to shooting style, but I heavily recommend a set of neutral density filters, covering: 3, 6, and 10 stops.
Cable Release – Cable or remote camera release, preferably with ability to lock in bulb mode for long exposures.
Camera Cover – It is likely we will encounter some adverse weather on Lofoten, so you want to be able to cover your camera and keep shooting.
Lens cleaning – Some locations can be exposed to sea spray. I recommend a combination of pre-moistened disposable lens wipes (Zeiss and Nikon make some) and dry cleaning tissues. I find microfiber cloths don’t handle the maritime conditions and quickly become unusable.
Storage – Bring plenty of memory cards to last for multiple days of shooting.
Batteries – Bring enough batteries to last for several days of shooting.

Clothing

The focus of this workshop is to explore Lofoten’s scenic and wild mountains and valleys. While I will do my best to avoid as much bad weather as possible, we will likely end up with rain at some point.

This means you will need to be fully waterproof (upper and lower) as well as having enough insulation to handle potentially cool, damp conditions and wind.

Proper hiking footwear prepared for muddy trails is also a requirement for this trip, as we will be spending much of our time away from the road. In addition to good shoes, you will want to have extra socks on hand in case your feet do get wet. I would suggest having 2 pairs per day.

For a detailed clothing list, see my article: What to Wear

Lofoten Summer Hiking Clothing

ABOUT CODY

Cody Duncan is one of the most experienced photographers living and working on Lofoten today. Since first visiting the Islands as a young backpacker in 2001, he traveled to Lofoten more than 20 times before deciding it was finally time to move there in the winter of 2016.

In 2010 he created the website 68 North to showcase his ever growing Lofoten portfolio which has now become one of the best photography and travel resources available today. In 2015 Cody published the first two photography guides focused on the unique seasonal nature of the Islands, drawing upon his years of experience exploring hidden corners and lonely mountain tops across Lofoten.

Cody was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California. Spending many of his early years surfing the cold waters of the Pacific, just down the road from his childhood home. His early 20’s saw him turn his focus to the mountains, soloing numerous 4000+ meter peaks in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. As his photography career developed, he soon found himself spending more time in the wild landscapes and turbulent weather of northern Europe. Cody’s images have been published by: Visit Norway, National Geographic, Men’s Journal, Sunset Magazine, Lonely Planet Magazine, GEO Saison, British Airways High Life, and numerous calendars, travel guides, and more.

Cody now lives on Lofoten.

FINE PRINT

Tour price due at time of payment is 21,500 NOK. Euro price of €2,350 based on estimate of € 1 = 9.15 NOK, this is subject to change and may affect final price at time of payment.

Travel insurance is mandatory. Some providers are: World Nomads, ADAC, Allianz, Medjetassist

Travel insurance needs to cover any medical emergencies or accidents before, during and in transit to the workshop. Any situation which would require you to cancel the tour before or during the trip. Any loss or damage to your luggage or photography equipment.

Deposit is non-refundable.

Any cancelations will be fully refunded (minus deposit) up to 90 days before tour. After that, no refunds are available.

Tour itinerary is subject to change due to any potentially unforeseen circumstances, such as weather cancelations, etc.

If tour itself is cancelled by the operator, then full refunds (including deposit) will be given to all participants.

MORE WINTER PHOTO GALLERIES