The ultimate Lofoten experience

A photo tour with Christian Hoiberg

Auroras or northern lights are hard to find. You preferably need to be way up north, better even to be above the polar circle, in a dark night without much light pollution, (meaning far away from everybody and everything). Then an aurora of 5+ on a scale of 10. Plus you need clear skies, which is probably the biggest problem.

So we went to the Lofoten, way up in the north of Norway, in February. The trip was postponed twice because of covid, but when Norway opened up on Feb 12th 2022 and we were offered the  option to go on very short notice we said: yes please ! If this trip was meant to be, the good Lord could have given us a bit nicer weather though. We counted it all together, the sunny and not totally clouded times and we came to about 2 hrs in a whole week. We were told later that is pretty much the normal thing here, we were lucky. To be honest I’ve never had such lousy weather and in spite of that, such a fabulous  time !

First and last Aurora

We are picked up from the Harstad-Evenes airport and drive the 4hrs to Leknes. The scenery is breathtaking, all is covered in snow, the road as well, so the driving is not quite so easy. We drive along fjords, first on the right side, then back down on the left side. There are settlements all over the place, these cute red and yellow houses, on the white snowy slopes, dark blue fjords and ice blue frozen lakes, it all looks amazing. We follow the E10 south.

Since there is light, and a really bad weather forecast, we decide to do a beach stop at Unstad Beach before we go to the hotel. This is the surfers beach and has the northernmost surf shop in the world. No surfers in sight though, not the most brilliant weather either. We sort of miss the easy path to the beach, and climb over fences and plough through knee deep snow for 30min till we reach the beach. There is even something like a sunset, so we do our best to get some nice shots, it is cool anyway. We take the easy path back to the road, (how could  we have missed that) which is about 2min, just before the bad weather hits us. Another car is stuck on the road, we try to help them, try to push, but they are too far in, they will have to wait for the tow truck. We safely arrive in Leknes shortly before 18:00. Thank God !

There is something like a clear sky above us, so after dinner we head out to the Stursandnes Beach on the next island south for an Aurora shoot. We are facing north back to Leknes, they are not called northern lights for no reason ! It is only an Index 1-2, so just a glow, but heck, you take what you can get, especially since, according to the weather forecast, there will not be another clear sky or ray of sun for the rest of our trip. We do actually see some green, the camera captures it even better, and with all the snow the pictures look like they were taken in bright daylight.

Hamnoy  before the storm hits

We leave early to get to Hamnoy before sunrise. I desperately wanted my own photo of this little fishing village in a snowy setting (okay everybody who goes to Lofoten has one, but I really wanted my own), so today is the day before the big rains set in. We pass cool stuff, drive by Flagstaff, Skagsanden and Ramberg, but keep going, we have a goal today. We arrive well before sunrise, and do our first shots in the „blue hour“, not that there is much more light later on, but it does get a bit less blue. This scene is simple amazing, like out of a picture book. There are exactly 2 photographers on the bridge as we arrive, which is nothing, in normal times the bridge is packed with photographers at sunrise, tripods wedged into each other to pack as many of them on the bridge as possible. So we are really lucky to almost have it to ourselves.

We move on to the next island, just one bridge to cross and we are there. This is Sakrisoy, and here the cabins are yellow, which is also a very nice contrast to the white snow. This place also has the best fish  burger restaurant for miles around, called Anita’s. Christian promised me a mega super, best ever, pulled salmon burger for lunch, and I already look forward to that ! We shoot from the bridge, from the shore and then climb the hill to the viewpoint. This is of course rather hard in our Icelandic ice fighter boots, and the snow is at times really deep, but we make it to the top. The view is sensational.

From there to Reine, again a very pretty village with a big mountain in the background. We shoot from the bridge at the end of town. Not my favorite shoot, it is too wide, and much to cloudy, but the town is cool and the red cabins are very numerous. From there to A, the shortest town name in the world, and the very end of the road. We hike a bit to a viewpoint, and are almost blown off our feet. Good sailing conditions here, almost too good… We head back to Sakrisoy for lunch. Unfortunately no premium fish burger, a busload full of Italian tourists enters just before we do, the queue is so long we decide to move on. Same thing in Ramberg where a big Swedish group has taken up all the seating, so then we head  back to Leknes for a late lunch. Turns out to be a wise decision.

The weather is getting worse by the minute and cars are getting stuck in the white outs because they simply don’t see the road anymore. We hear later an avalanche has blocked the road north of Ramberg, had we taken a fish burger we would probably still be in Sakrisoy with no way of getting out. The weather is disastrous, and oh shit, it is now raining not snowing, but otherwise I like it here. We’ve already got a few cool shots, we’re good. The weather on the other hand isn’t ! People who can’t leave are checking in. The bridge to the mainland is closed because of the winds, the roads all around are closed because of avalanches, no ferries and no airplanes are leaving, the hotel is filling up. Another problem arises, Jürg thinks he has been bitten by a mosquito…. Okay, anything that buzzes and flies is strongly attracted to him, but here ? Above the polar circle in a superstorm ? It must be the very rare Arctic snow mosquito.

Beach sunset with hurricane force

The weather is so bad we get to sleep late. We go check out Haukland beach and our cabin, it is empty and the key is in the door, so let’s go get the bags and move in. The cabin is amazing ! Just the right size and overlooking the bay. With this weather it is editing time. Halfway through I look outside, the sky is clearing…a bit. 

No time like now, so we get dressed and drive the 2min to the Haukland beach. It is blowing like mad, we fight to get to the beach against the storm. The wind is bad, the gusts almost blow us off our feet. We hear later it was a gale with gusts of hurricane strength ! It starts raining, no problem wipe twice, shoot once until it really pours. But the rain stops after a while, the rain jackets seem rather waterproof and we can turn to the ocean once again. The waves are hitting a rock on the beach full force, in the background the sun is setting, an impossible gap of light has shown up. We have to turn our backs every now and then when the wind gets too much, and we get a free sand peeling every few minutes. Still, it is not the nights you get good sleep you remember, it is moments like these, when the wind almost blows you off your feet, the rain hits your face, and much worse… your lens, and yet you desperately want to get a shot in. Boy, it was cool ! 

By the way, all the roads are closed, the worst storm this winter they say. There is no way of getting anywhere, except maybe within a 20min distance. Not many photo spots to choose from for tomorrow, but luckily we have two spots right in front of our doorstep, Haukland and Uttakleiv.

Fish burgers and drone flights

Today anything is possible, but it all depends on the weather and road situation. We are picked up at 07:00 which is an absolute luxury ! The Uttakleiv beach is our goal, and it is only 5min from our cabin, such a great coincidence. Unfortunately there is almost nowhere else to go, so soon the beach is crowded with photographers. We shoot the beach, then the „eye of Uttakleiv“, a small shallow pool in the rocks, which some may say resembles an eye, others call it the avocado… 

The weather is not brilliant, but it is not raining or snowing and there is almost no wind, so I guess we are lucky again. We are very lucky, at 10:00 the roads south have opened, so we can finally have our mega fish burger for lunch. We drive south with a stop at Ramberg beach. There is one small red cabin on the beach which definitely is the „money-shot“. I love it, the guys move on a little faster. The sky is grey and moody but I love the textures in it. Would have been even cooler if everything had been white, but we are lucky to even get here ! We walk through Hamnøy, which is only half as cool without snow, do drone shots of the Fredvang bridges, drop by Ytresand beach and shoot rock pools at Vikten. 

At Skagsanden Beach we photograph some crazy guys which go surfing. Such a great day ! In the evening we are back to Lofoten weather again. No chance of an aurora tonight, a storm is howling around our little cabin and it is raining heavily. Very good, we will just sleep tonight without thinking we might just miss a super aurora, there will, that’s a 100% sure, not be one tonight. 

Rainy start and “sunny“ end

The night was good. The weather wasn’t, boy another storm. It is pissing with rain, the wind is howling and the cabin is squeaking as if it would soon fall apart. But the bed is nice and warm and I was so tired I slept like a baby. Around 10:00 just when Jürg and Christian are in the middle of a photo stacking lesson the sun starts to peek through the clouds. End of lesson, lets get dressed and go ! 

First we head south again and at Vareid Beach we do a beach shoot with rocks and flowing water, a beautiful, still halfway snowy mountain in the background. When I move to the next rock, to get a „the making of“ picture of Jürg almost being swept off the rock by the waves, that same wave hits my rock so hard, it splashes me from top to toe. But I got the shot.

Then to the ice lake on the road to Nusfjord, and after lunch back to the Skagsanden Beach, where yesterday we saw the crazy surfers. This beach has much more to offer than just surfing. It consists of a mixture of white and black sands, as the tide retreats it leaves behind incredible textures in the sand, the mountain Husfjellet is in the background. We even get something like a sunset, the sky is open and there are lovely clouds. There are tons of opportunities, everywhere you look, just know what to look for, and pick the lines or shapes you like, a huge  photographers playground. The sky is not really turning red, but we do get some color in the sky and we absolutely love it here. Before the rains start we leave and head back to our cosy cabin.

Waiting for the light

We do the Skagsanden Beach again in the morning, because it was so very cool and every wave creates new patterns so it will be different today. When we get there there are already two groups there, so it was rather hard not getting people in the picture, except when a big wave comes. Then all photographers run away, just Jürg and me in Icefighter boots keep standing and shooting and have the beach to ourselves. It is raining lightly most of the time, but good luck for once, it is coming from behind us, so we can keep shooting. It was great but couldn’t beat yesterday evening, the light is so important. Then at my request we do the snake again, there is light now, you never know what sunset is going to bring.

From there we drive about an hour towards Solvaer, then turn off towards the fishing town of Henningsvaer.  A cute place with more tourists and shops I have seen in all the Lofoten. We park at the end of town by the soccer field. A great place for drone shots, so Jürg and Christian do that, and I walk towards the harbor. It is cute, lots of colorful boats, unfortunately once again immensely cloudy. It starts to get a bit lighter and I find a spot I really like and decide to stay put until the light comes. I stay so long an old sailor guy starts winking and smiling at me, oh boy, the sun better come soon now ! When the sun comes, even if only for 2 minutes, it is amazing ! The sun lights up the colors of the boats, the light reflects off the white seagulls, they seem like little flying lightbulbs. The money shot, juhui !

The weather is incredible, you can go from sunshine to rain, to snowstorm within 5 minutes. And it keeps changing, so just keep going… at some point you will be able to shoot. 

Last chances

Damn, it’s almost over. The light is good, it is not raining or snowing, and there is hardly any wind, almost a miracle ! We decide to do the Uttakleiv Beach one more time, there are only two other photographers on the beach, otherwise we have it to ourselves. It looks pretty with just a tiny bit of snow, like everything has been powdered. I race for the „eye“, there is one guy there but he soon leaves, and we can play around for as long as we want. Jürg does some more drone shots, which is perfect today when there is no wind. Well there is a breeze, but that is considered no wind here. A regular wind is force 6 or more.

Now drive to Henningsvaer. The guys will try the drone shot again, Jürg couldn’t properly do it last time because the wind was too strong. It rains, then starts snowing lightly. Bugger no drone flying when it snows. When we reach Henningsvaer it is snowing rather hard so we decide to go have a coffee and a piece of cheesecake first. When we leave the coffee shop the sun has come out again, and the landscape is white, so cool. So the guys do their drone thing and I do the harbor again. Now it is a snowy harbor, which is also cool, but the brilliant light yesterday can’t be topped. I head for the soccer-field, and as they are still busy climb up the hill. You have a nice view over the town and all the poles with drying fish from there.

The last stretch to the airport, we do not want to leave yet, so we take the long way by the west coast.

The guys do some more drone shots at Delp whilst I splash around in the lagoon trying to get some ice chunks from the right angle. There is a little white church on a peninsula, fish heads dangling from poles all over the place, and more red cabins at Solvaer, we make Christian stop where ever we can, but then it really is over. 

I always say I want to return at the end of a great holiday, but honest I am coming back here, I love this place, even when it rains (a bit).

For our favorite photos: Go to gallery

 

copyright : photo and text Astrid Bluemel for bluemelphoto.ch