LOFOTEN OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP

MIDNIGHT MOUNTAINS

JUNE 14 – 20, 2021

Summer is when the Lofoten Islands are most alive. I invite you to join me and experience the magic of the midnight sun while exploring some of Lofoten’s most iconic mountain views. We will hike through flower filled meadows on our way to views of white sand beaches and azure waters – so inviting that the bravest of you might even attempt a swim!

We will become nocturnal on this workshop and time will cease to be of much importance. Our goal is to hike to scenic mountain views and photograph the hours-long sunset to sunrise which occurs around midnight. And when our legs are tired, we might pick up a grill and spend an evening around a bbq and campfire with our cameras shooting time-lapses down by the sea.

This is an active outdoor photography workshop about experiencing the best of Lofoten’s outdoors.

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

WORKSHOP DETAILS AND ARRIVAL

Group size: 4 participants + guide

The workshop will officially begin in Leknes at 12:00 on Monday, June 14 and end in Leknes at 12:00 on Sunday, June 20. Please schedule your arrival as close as possible to these times.

Pickup/drop-off will be available at Leknes airport or city center.

Accommodation: We will be based on Vestvågøy, in the heart of Lofoten. This allows for the greatest flexibility when choosing destinations for the day. We will often not return until the early hours of the morning after our hikes.

Physical Ability: Moderate to good physical ability is required for this tour. Though none of the planned hikes are overly physically demanding, we will aim to reach several mountain peaks of up to 600 meters and spend some 4-8 hours away from the car at any given time. You should be hiking on a regular basis to have the required fitness level for this tour. See HIKING ON LOFOTEN for more info on what to expect on Lofoten.

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: 28500 NOK (2850 Euros*)

Deposit: 8000 NOK

Payment will be made in Norwegian NOK, for the amount of 28,500 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 use the contact form below or write:

workshops@codyduncan.com

2018 Midnight Mountains - Lofoten Photography Tour

2020 Midnight Mountains - Lofoten Photography Tour

ITINERARY

The goal of this workshop is to experience the magic of the midnight sun while visiting some of Lofoten’s spectacular mountain views. Along the way, instruction will be given on how to compose and photograph a variety of mountain scenes, as well as learning about efficient packing and choosing the right gear for the right destination.

Weather cooperating, we visit 3-4 mountains ranging from 400-600 meters in height. While none of the routes are difficult, a moderate level of physical fitness is required with at least some previous hiking experience.

On a typical hiking day, we will begin our journey around 21:00 and return to the car around 02:00. If the light is still good, we may visit an easier roadside destination before finally returning to our accommodation for some sleep. We might do some sightseeing during the day, but this is not the focus of this tour as we need to save our energy for our midnight adventures.

As it will never be dark, we don’t plan on any camping. However, weather permitting, some open air mountain naps might be possible from time to time.

The nature of Lofoten requires a great deal of flexibility to the local weather conditions once on the Islands, so we will typically pick our planned destination only a few hours ahead of time. If the weather is too stormy and moody for the mountains, we will focus on coastal areas and hidden beaches of the Islands, taking shelter among the cliffs.

As this workshop takes place in the height of summer, the northern lights will not be visible.

Day 1: Arrival on Lofoten: Monday, June 14

You will be picked up in early afternoon in Leknes. We will first head to our accommodation to drop off baggage and pack our bags for hiking. As there is no night, we might begin our first hike this day if the weather is promising.

Days 2 – 6

We will switch our body clocks to become nocturnal. The majority of our outside time will be from mid evening until the early morning hours. We will typically attempt to sleep from early morning to early afternoon.

Mountain hikes are planned for at least 4 nights on this trip, allowing us some flexibility to wait for ideal conditions. Our goal is to spend the hours around midnight away from the road and up in the mountains.

Depending on the conditions each day, we will decide to head either east or west in search of the best light and conditions.

On rest/weather days, we will explore some of Lofoten iconic and easier to reach beaches and views.

Day 7: Departing Lofoten: Sunday, June 20

The tour will officially end at 12:00 in Leknes. However, all attempts will be made to best accommodate transport to your departing flights or ferry.

WORKSHOP PRICE INCLUDES

Accommodation – 6 nights accommodation on Lofoten

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

Professional photography and location guiding by Cody Duncan.

NOT INCLUDED

Air travel to and from Leknes.

Meals: Each individual will be responsible for their own food. We will have nearby options of restaurants and supermarkets.

Insurance: travel insurance is 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.

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. A fast wide angle f/2.8 or faster is beneficial for shooting northern lights, should they appear.
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

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 began publishing 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 Flakstadøy, in the heart of Lofoten.

FINE PRINT

Tour amount due at time of final payment is 28,500 NOK – (8000 NOK deposit + 20500 remaining balance). Euro price of €2,850 based on estimate of € 1 = 10 NOK at time of publishing. This is subject to change and may affect your 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 60 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.

Cody Duncan Photography is a member of the Norwegian Reisegarantifondet, mandatory insurance for all tour operators in Norway.

**If the tour itself is cancelled by the operator or other mandatory outside circumstances such as COVID-19 outbreak of 2020, then full refunds (including deposit) for the price of the tour will be given to all participants. This does not cover any additional transportation costs to Lofoten/Norway, hotel bookings, or other arrangements outside of the workshop – this should all be covered by your travel insurance. Refunds will be paid in NOK for the same amount as received in NOK, and not adjusted for any potential currency exchange differences.