Reflection of northern lights in sky over mountains of Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Northern Lights Season Begins On Lofoten

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Reflection of northern lights in sky over mountains of Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Northern Lights over Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. Sept 2, 2017

Friday night was the beginning on the northern lights season on Lofoten for me. While there had been some previous lights in the end of August, I wasn’t able to go out and photograph them, unfortunately. But Friday was a night worth waiting for! With clear skies and almost no wind, the sky repeatedly erupted in dancing auroras almost from horizon to horizon. One of the better aurora displays I have photographed recently, and much better than anything I had earlier in the winter.

And while I’m a bit sad the summer is gone, it was a full and adventurous one for me – largely the reason for the lack of blog posts here, I have been too busy to keep up with things – I hiked many new mountains and shot some of my best imagery yet of Lofoten. Even though I’m still dealing with paperwork and bureaucracy nearly 5 months after officially moving here, it was a good choice! So with no more midnight sun hikes this year, I’m greatly looking forward to the aurora nights!

I will try and keep things updated here more frequently. But for current Lofoten info, always head over to 68north.com – where I keep things more current.

 

Aurora corona fills sky over Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Aurora corona over Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. Sept 2, 2017

Lofoten Photo Workshop - August 2017

New Lofoten Photo Workshops Summer 2017

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Lofoten Photo Workshop - August 2017

Along with the already Scheduled workshops, I have just published three new Lofoten photo tours for summer and autumn 2017.

Midnight Mountains – June 24 – 30, 2017

Summer Twilight – August 12 – 18, 2017

Exploring Autumn – September 23 – 29, 2017

Overall, I will be keeping a slightly lighter tour schedule in 2017 than I did in 2016.  I had more private tour bookings than I was expecting, which at times left me away from home for weeks on end. I am also simultaneously working on several new ebooks for both Lofoten and other areas in Norway and Sweden, all of which all take a lot of field, photography, and research time. I have already fallen a bit behind my deadlines for 2016 and had to cancel a few photo/hiking trips all together – which in the short seasons of the Scandinavian arctic, basically delays things by a year. Being busy is a good problem to have, but the key is finding balance…

Lofoten Islands Photo Workshop - Distant Beaches

Lofoten Photography Workshop – Distant Beaches – July 2016

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Lofoten Islands Photo Workshop - Distant Beaches

DISTANT BEACHES – LOFOTEN OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP

July 23 – 29, 2016

With the sun setting just below the horizon each night, the end of July brings the twilight nights to Lofoten. No longer the midnight sun, and not yet dark, the ‘night’ is one long transition from sunset to sunrise. We will use these long days and glowing nights to explore and camp in some of Lofoten’s best destinations.

This Photography workshop is more than just a tour of Lofoten, it will be a total outdoor experience of the Islands. The heart of this trip will consist of a 4 day – 3 night hiking and camping tour across the wild northern coast of Moskenesøy, where we will take turns watching the sun sink into the sea from sandy beaches and mountain summits.

This is a photography workshop about experiencing the best of wild Lofoten in some of my favorite destinations across the islands.

More info and booking | Distant Beaches

Lofoten Islands Photography Tour - Midnight Mountains

Lofoten Photography Workshop – Midnight Mountains – July 2016

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Lofoten Islands Photography Tour - Midnight Mountains

MIDNIGHT MOUNTAINS – LOFOTEN OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP

July 02 – 08, 2016

The goal of this workshop is to experience the magic of the midnight sun while hiking to some of Lofoten’s most iconic 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.

More info and booking | Midnight Mountains

Lofoten Photography Workshop - Arctic Solstice 2016

Lofoten Photography Workshop – Arctic Solstice – June 2016

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Lofoten Photography Workshop - Arctic Solstice 2016

ARCTIC SOLSTICE – LOFOTEN OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP

June 18 – 24, 2016

Summer is when the Lofoten Islands are most alive. So 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 a photography workshop about experiencing the best of Lofoten’s outdoors.

More info and booking | Arctic Solstice

Lofoten - Northern Lights

Video – Lofoten – Northern Light

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Timelapse: Lofoten – Northern Light

I’m a little late in publishing the news here, but I recently released a another video about Lofoten, this time focusing on summer and autumn. Title Lofoten – Northern Light, it is mostly time lapse sequences taken between 2013 and 2015 during my multiple visits to the islands.

If you like some of the light and locations that you see, think about joining me on my photo workshop in September 2016…

Rays of light illuminate Kråkhammartind (732m) from summit of Markan (602m), Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Podcast Interview – The Traveling Image Makers Podcast

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Rays of light illuminate Kråkhammartind (732m) from summit of Markan (602m), Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Last light over Kråkhammartind, Lofoten Islands, Norway. September 2014

There is an interview with me on a new travel and photography podcast called The Traveling Image Makers, by Ugo Cei from Italy. We had a brief conversation last week about – can you guess(?) – Lofoten…

Here is a link to the website, or you can also search for it in the iTunes stores.

Lofoten Winter Photography Workshop

New Lofoten Time Lapse VIdeo

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Lofoten Winter

I’ve put together a short video and some time lapse footage from the last couple winters on Lofoten – Mostly 2015 with a bit of 2014.  In the video there’s a short scene of driving during hurricane Ole in February. Near zero visibility and blasting snow, I forgot how scary that was, and despite the cold, I was fully sweating by the time I made it back to Stamsund!

If you like what you see, I’ll be guiding two winter photo workshops on Lofoten in 2016, you can checkout my WORKSHOPS page for more info. For the first workshop I will be a co-guide on a tour run by Muench Workshops from January 21 – 30. More than just Lofoten, we will also journey up to Vesterålen for a couple days on boats for whale photography.

The 2nd photo workshop will be run by me also, and remain only on Lofoten, but we will try and get to Bunes beach if the weather cooperates, a fantastic location that few people visit in winter.  This tour will take place from February 14 – 21. And as a special offer, there is a very substantial discount on this tour is you sign up to my email list and register before the end of August. *wink wink

Lofoten Winter Photography Workshop

2016 Lofoten Winter Photography Workshop

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Lofoten Winter Photography Workshop

I’m super happy to announce that I will be hosting my own photo workshop on Lofoten this winter: February 14 – 21, 2016.

You can find more info about the workshop here: Exploring Lofoten – Winter Photo Workshop 2016

Guiding my own workshops on Lofoten has been a long time dream of mine – you can see the business plan I wrote back in 2011, but until now I was never able to cover all the legal aspects of running a workshop to keep everything legitimate as it needs to be. However, now that I’ve been able to obtain residency in Germany, as well as teaming up with a local business on Lofoten, things can finally get underway.

And if you sign up to my email list by August, there is a substantial early bird discount for the workshop. 🙂

Arctic Campers - Lofoten Islands Camper Van Rental

Exploring Lofoten In A Van From Arctic Campers

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Arctic Campers - Lofoten Islands Camper Van Rental

While preparing for my June trip to Lofoten to grab a couple last photos for my eBook, I decided to get in contact with a new company renting out camper vans on the Islands: Arctic Campers. I often try and promote the flexibility of sleeping in a car while on Lofoten and also giving support to the local companies on the Islands, so it is good to see camper vans now added to the travel options.

And quite frankly, I’m really surprised it has taken this long. Some of you might know, that at the start of my travels 10 years ago, I spent my first year living in a van in New Zealand, where camper vans were one of the most popular forms of transport – I bought my own, but there were many rentals available as well.

Though Arctic Campers have a couple different models available, I used one of their VW Caddys – the Comfort Camper. Sleeping two (all bedding included) on a comfortable bed platform with plenty of gear storage underneath, the van also included free Wifi, a fridge, 2 stoves + cookware, water and sink area, a table and chairs. For those of you worried about cold, the vans are all equipped with heaters, strong enough to keep the vans toasty even in winter while you’re hunting for northern lights.

For more info, visit Arctic Campers at: arcticcampers.no

Arctic Campers - Lofoten Islands Camper Van Rental

Photo: Even summer rain can’t keep the popcorn away! Austvågøy, Lofoten Islands. June 2015

 

Arctic Campers - Lofoten Islands Camper Van Rental

Photo: Beach view at Unstad, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands. June 2015

 

Arctic Campers - Lofoten Islands Camper Van Rental

Photo: Waiting for the midnight sun, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands. June 2015
Disclosure: I was given a modest discount for the week I rented my van so I could have the opportunity to test it out for future usage. All opinions my own as always.