Photography

Senja and Lofoten, part 9: Hamnøy and exploring southeast

In the second post of this series, I talked about putting in the effort. As landscape photographers, it is almost mandatory if you want to get those once in a lifetime shots. Sure, you can get lucky and get the perfect conditions at the perfect location (the storm clouds over mountains a few posts ago is an example of just that), but for consistency, you have no choice but to do the work, set the alarm, and get out of bed.

That said, I'm horrible at it. On this trip, there were multiple mornings where I should have gone out, but didn't; many times I'm a lazy man, even with things I know I'd enjoy once I get going. This particular morning however, I didn't have a choice. I had two mornings to go before heading back to Finland. If the weather wasn't on my side this day, I'd only have one backup morning. So, at 4:30 in the morning, I started my drive to Hamnøy.

Of course, I wasn't alone. Hamnøy is the defining photo of the Lofoten islands, and I counted around 30 other people on the bridge with me. I was one of the earlier ones so I could pick my spot. We all lined up, set up, and waited.

45 minutes to go.

If I'd sell my stuff I guess this one would be called the money maker. Then again, I know for a fact that 30 people have the same image, so...

The sky eastward slowly got brighter and brighter, lighting the horizon a lovely pink and orange. Then, there it was, the first light hitting the peak, a lovely pink spreading around the cliff face. I took my shot, double-checked it, re-framed, and shot again. Two images, slightly different, and both absolutely worth it to wake up for.

But I wasn't done. While most people were staying on the bridge, shooting that scene, I packed my stuff and walked up a small hill close by that I'd scouted the day before. I had gotten an idea for a shot; something I could use as a background for my emails, to remind me of where I had been. Something simple. Something that showcased this wondrous place. I knew just what to shoot, and I had the perfect weather for it.

View northward from the hill. You don't have to look closely if you don't want to. But if you do, you see the small detail, such as the fishing boats. This photograph brings a smile to my lips each time I see it; it's not perfect by any means, but it means the world to me.

After that, I was done. I had gotten the photo I came to Lofoten for, and a great bonus on top of that. It had been a superb morning. While driving back, the landscape got brighter and brighter as the sun rose. I tried a few locations on the road back, but they would have worked better at sunrise. Didn't bother me though, not one bit.

Not the best I'd seen, but not bad.

After breakfast I decided to explore the final direction I hadn't been to yet, the southern part of Vestvågøy, the island I was staying on. The reason I had left it for last was that the maps didn't promise a lot of amazing views. I mean it isn't bad by any means, but it just isn't as dramatic as the drive south. 

Possible sunrise location for the last morning, but OK mid-day too.

Ballstad harbor.

Mountaintop detail.

Same mountain from the other side of the bay.

I continued my drive along the coast, trying to find images, but also just enjoying the scenery. As expected, it wasn't as dramatic as the previous days, but the weather as great so I didn't mind. On the way, I found a small installation of fish drying, nestled in by a small leisure harbor. I really do wonder why the birds don't eat all of the fish, since there is nothing to protect them, they just hang there:

Dried fish, anyone?

I didn't count them.

I mean, there were plenty of crows and eagles around, I'd think they'd treat the display as an all-you-can-eat buffet. I don't know, maybe the local birds prefer more sportsmanlike behavior. But speaking of eagles, guess what I photographed during my lunch?

I really do miss being able to take close-ups of these majestic birds.. Although we do have white-tailed eagles in the Turku archipelago too, they are mostly very shy and don't come nearly as close as this. At least if, you're not being sneaky, which I really wasn't, eating my bag of food at the top of a mountain pass.

After lunch I finished my drive round to Stamsund; not really much to report there. That particular area has forest by the road and coast, so you can't really see much of anything while driving. My mind was quickly moving to where I was planning to take the sunset image of the day, Uttakleiv Beach. Uttakleiv is one of the iconic beaches in Lofoten and is right next to Haukland Beach where I had been earlier. Getting there was no problem; finding a composition with more than a hundred other photographers was.

I'm not super happy with what I got, to be honest. There were too many people around and I couldn't really concentrate on the image. After I took this, I wanted to see if I could find something else, but it was no use. The beach was full of tourists and the light was disappearing fast; another storm was heading our way and it covered most of the horizon, blocking the final phase of the sunset. I stayed on the beach for a good hour after I took the image above, just taking in the view. I knew it was probably going to be the last sunset image I took during the trip. It turns out I was right.

Senja and Lofoten, part 8: The most incredible place

When you read 'Lofoten Islands in winter', what do you think of? Mountains? Snow? Ice? Fjords? Small fishing villages? I thought of all of those, and more. To actually be there was a dream come true. On the third day in Lofoten, I drove southwards toward the end of the islands. The weather had calmed considerably from the days before. And even though there was a bit of cloud on the sky, it was that nice sort of cloud that just looks great. Even though my drive southward was only about 1 hour long, it took me about three times that.

Behind the red shed, the little outcrop, was where I took the sunset image you can see in the previous post.

And in the other direction, my trusty, thirsty steed. Wherever you look around these parts, there is a pointy mountain.

I mean, come on!

So yeah, I stopped along the way. A lot. But can you really blame me? I just do not have the words to describe my feelings on this day. I was in paradise. Lofoten is unlike any place I've ever been in, and to be able to see and experience it during a day like this was just... incredible. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Crystal clear.

Bridges to Fredvang.

After many, many stops I finally got to Hamnøy for the scouting. It didn't take me long to find the location I was looking for.

Either this...

...or this. I'd choose the final one next morning.

While I was here, I took the opportunity to walk around to see if there were other shots to be had. I knew where I'd have to be the next morning, but there might still be some hidden gems somewhere. 

This guy had the right idea. But what is he taking a photo of?

Ah, yes.

View south-west.

View south-east towards the mainland. This actually gave me an idea that bore fruit the next morning.

Locals.

I wandered around for an hour or so, watching the sea, boats and birds, and just enjoying the views. I was getting hungry though, so it was time for another delicious Outdoor Deluxe Meal. The location this time was Djupfjorden, that has a convenient parking spot built on a scenic position. I took a photo of the small fjord itself, and then settled down for my lunch. The eagles the day before were on my mind, so before I did anything with the portable stove, I strapped on my birding setup. Just in case.

Small and cozy. I'd love to take a photo that would show the scale of the place, but there just is no way to do it from this vantage point.

I sat on the ledge that you can see above, looking out towards the sea (behind me in this shot). I had the bag of food in my left hand and a spoon in my right. And on my right side, hanging from my shoulder harness, my tele lens with the correct settings dialed in. Mid-chew, I looked to my left, put the bag of food down beside me, lifted my camera, and fired of a full burst. Afterwards I put down the camera, picked up my food and continued eating.

It was time to head back. I had a plan to get to a particular beach for sunset, Skagsanden beach. On the way I couldn't resist, and stopped at the same location I was at earlier. The sun had shifted a bit, shining nice side light on the mountains so that I could do nice panoramas that I'll put on my wall at some point. 

The beach was absolutely packed. I stopped counting at a hundred photographers, it was simply mental. I was a bit late, again, so didn't really have a good pick of compositions. I tried my best, but my heart wasn't really in it. It had been a long day, and I was really tired. And happy about all the photos I had already gotten that day. I also knew I had an early start the next day; there was no chance I'd miss sunrise at Hamnøy.

It had been a crazy, long day. Writing this, I know I should try more to describe what I felt, but mostly I was just overwhelmed. And that's really not that strange. Now, I just look at the images, and smile.

After sunset when most of the photogs had left. I should've put more effort in, such as focus stacking the image. But I was already half asleep.

Sunset at Skagsanden. Would've been great, were it not for the footsteps of some idiot.

Senja and Lofoten, part 2: quick tour around Tromso

The drive to Norway is pretty long. The first leg was to Kemi, on the border to Sweden. The drive that day, honestly, was pretty boring. Finland is nice and all, but the roads are proper, flat, and partly covered in snow. The second day was definitely more interesting. The road up from Kemi through the highlands of Finnish Lapland is partly quite horrid, but the views are great. There's not a lot of mountains, instead the landscape is rolling hills and low bush as far as the eye can see.

As a fun detail, you can clearly see where the border to Norway is while you drive. Obviously, there are signs and cameras, but the landscape changes quite fast after the border. On the Finnish side its all rolling large hills, and the valleys are quite shallow. On the Norwegian side, the hills become suddenly quite steep, and you are driving between actual mountains. The best bit was definitely the last few hours, driving through the fjords and ending up in Tromso. It's a beautiful drive, made more awesome by the setting sun hitting the mountain peaks.

I didn't stop to take any photos as it was a long drive, but I did take quite a bit of time lapse footage while driving. I'll embed the raw version below, but I'm planning on producing a cut together video of the whole trip. It will be my first produced video so it will probably take a while :D

As the drive was long, I ended up in Tromso after sunset, so didn't have time for a photograph that evening. Instead, I decided to get a good meal and rest after the drive so that I could be up bright and early for sunrise, which was at 06:47. I already showed you the scouting for this location in the last post, but as a reminder, the plan was a S-shaped stream that leads up to a mountain range, with the early rays of the sun just hitting the peaks.

The plan came together perfectly. I woke up at 05:00, early enough for the 40 minute drive, scouting time, and setting up on location. It wasn't easy, mostly because I'm really, really not a morning person. But I knew I'd regret it if I didn't get the shot, and there was no clouds on the horizon, so I got into my car and started driving. The place was easy to find, and conveniently there was a parking space right next to the bridge I wanted to take the shot from. Since I had time (about 30 minutes) I walked around the beach to make sure I had the best vantage point. On the beach, I looked towards sunrise and thought that image was quite nice as well.

It's nice, but there isn't really a clear subject. Sets the mood quite nicely though, I liked the mist forming in the cold winter morning :)

As sunrise was approaching, I took my gear and set up on the edge of the bridge. The bridge itself was very narrow, enough for a single vehicle and someone walking on the side. Good thing that it was very early, so there wasn't much traffic. No one honked their horn at me at least, which was nice. Sunrise hit, and exactly as planned, the peaks lit up with the faint morning light. I kept shooting as the light increased, just to make sure I got the best light; it's easy when you have a tripod and shoot on semi-auto with a cable release. I ended up selecting one of the earlier ones that had most pink in it. It's a color you don't really get at sunset.

I couldn't really have asked for a better start for the trip. Even though it was really, really cold (my car showed -17 degrees Celsius), I was super happy. I stayed until the nice light was gone, around 20-30 minutes after sunrise, and then packed up and headed back to the hotel for a well deserved breakfast. 

After some bacon and eggs, I packed my stuff into the car again and started on the drive for today. The plan was to drive around the local neighborhood to scout for locations before sunset, where I had a few potential spots. I had plenty of time during the day to check both, and then I could choose the better one for my only evening in this part of the journey.

The island of Kvaløya looked like it had most potential. I decided to drive around the whole island, starting from the north part through the valley. The views are nice, with the clear blue waters and partly snow-covered mountains. 

The northern part of the drive is definitely nicer than the southern one. That might also be because the brisk wind was coming from the southwest, hitting the south coast head on, as well as the sun being on that side. So even as there are mountains towards the south, they don't make for a good photo from this particular road. There was a nice rest stop though, and I decided to have a late lunch. I had a bag full of boil-in-bag lunches and a traditional gas cooker with me, exactly for this purpose. Boil up some water, pour in bag, shake and wait. Easy and no need to clean the cookware. And probably cheaper than finding a restaurant, to be honest :)

Not a bad view for a spot of lunch.

I decided on the village of Ersfjordbotn for sunset. The village is located at the end of a steep fjord, and the right side was in a prime location for sunset. I headed that way with plenty of time for setting up. Unsurprisingly, there aren't dedicated parking spots for photographers in good locations, so you have to improvise. I never park in anyones personal driveway, so sometimes parking takes some doing. In any case, I found a spot and took a walk around, finding a small beach between the houses where a small stream flowed out to the fjord. The stream was mostly frozen, but the shore provided some nice foreground for the mountain, so I set up my gear and waited. 

Is nice!

The tide was low, luckily for me. I found the trail of an otter in the snow too :)

Last rays of the day.

The sun set, I took my photos, and headed back to the hotel for some dinner. The next day was going to be driving again, this time to my first actual stay on the island of Senja. More mountains and some auroras to come in the next post :)