A trip of a lifetime to the Norwegian Lofoten Islands

It has always been on my bucket list and a visit the Lofoten Islands on the western coast of Norway is something I had to do. I planned the trip myself and decided I would travel alone and put an itinerary in place that would allow me to visit some of the legendary photography locations and take in the local culture and history,

Research was completed by viewing the plentiful You Tube videos and marking up my map with the places I wanted to visit. I then booked some accomadation in the north, south and central areas of the Islands. This gave me a number of bases and allowed me to travel and explore.

I flew into Leknes and picked up my hire car and set off on my little adventure.

I spent sometime deciding what equipment I should pack and in reflection took far too much camera equipment, as it hindered my decision making when out and about. My basic landscape equipment consisted of my Fujifilm XT5 with three Fujifilm lenses (XF16/55mm, XF10/24mm, XF55/200mm). I also packed my Fujifilm XF100/400mm and a prime XF23mm, both were not used much on this trip. I wanted to capture Lofoten on 35mm film, so took my Leica M6 and two prime lenses (Voigtlander 35mm & Leica 50mm). My film of choice was Kodak Portra 400. My filter kit consisted of a set of graduated Lee Filters, Lee Polariser and Lee little Stopper. I did use these on most days as I enjoy the “craft” of using filters as it slows down my photography and I love trying to get as much in shot, rather than post process.

I packed my DJI Mini 2 drone and an DJI Hero action camera; I found these added to the fun, but I do not often use the footage. I need to be more selective on what I want to achieve on each trip, without it becoming too serious!

My FStop bag and my large Manfrotto tripod were superb and the strong winds and bad weather at times, put this equipment to test.

Sorrell snow shoes, Yeti Grips and Vallerret photography gloves were an absolute life saver. They made working in the cold icy conditions so much easier.

I like using my IPad Pro for editing as I enjoy doing this as soon as possible and find Adobe Lightroom excellent for what I want to achieve. I am not a person that spends too much time editing.

Clothing consisted of what I would wear on my winter days in the UK mountains. Merino layers, Mountain Equipment duvet jacket and my Montane winter trousers, never left my body!

Kit layout - I definitely took too much gear!

Three flights from Manchester to Oslo, Oslo to Bodo and Bodo to Leknes saw me set up in my first base just outside Leknes and I was greeted with perfect winter conditions. The weather gods were with me for a few days, but things would quickly change!

Hamnoy shot at sunrise - Fujifilm XT5 - XF10-24mm - Lee Graduated Filter 3 stops

I spent each day getting out early to catch the morning light and visiting the small fishing villages, coffee shops and museums.

Night time was spent searching for sunsets and northern lights. The latter proved very difficult. One for next time though!

I found that the conditions would change every hour and you would get great conditions in the middle of the day as well as the normal sunrise and sunset periods. Most days consisted of four seasons in a day with rain, snow, hail, wind and sunshine all possible. It all made for great photography conditions. Below is a selection of some of my favourite shots:

Views from Rambergstranda beach with mid afternoon light - Fujifilm XT5 - XF55 -200mm

Svolvær sunrise - Fujifilm XT5 - XF55-200mm

The village of A after the blizzards kept me in for two days - Fujifilm XT5 - XF16-55mm

Morning sunlight on my final day of the Islands - Fujifilm XT5 - XF10-24mm

Views whilst travelling south - Fujifilm XT5 - XF55-200mm

The well photographed “Red Shed” at Ramberg - Fujifilm XT5 - XF16-55mm

Typical buildings on route to Flakstad - Fujifilm XT5 - XF16-55mm

Fish racking at Hamnoy - Fujifilm XT5 - XF16-55mm

Morning light viewed North from Hamnoy - Fujifilm XT5 - XF16-55mm

Morning sunlight from Utakleiv Beach - Fujifilm XT5 - XF10-24mm

Bridges on route to Flakstad - Fujifilm XT5 - XF16-55mm

And no trip would be complete without a view of the history, culture and wildlife.

Viking Museum - Fujifilm XT5 XF23mm

Viking Museum - Fujifilm XT5 XF23mm

Fishing nets in the village of A - Fujifilm XT5 - XF23mm

Whaling Museum Nusfjord - Fujifilm XT5 - XF16-55mm

Sea Eagle - Svolvær boat trip - Fujifilm XT5 - XF55-200mm

Norwegian Flag flying in the village of A - Fujifilm XT5 - XF16-55

Finally, I did take my film camera and I was unsure if the harsh conditions would be too much for the film; however I was very pleased with the results and have definitely learnt that using my tripod would have been a better option for some of the shots. These are some of my favourites, shot with my Leica M6 and the Voigtlander 35mm F3.6.

Hamnoy Bridge in the morning light - Leica M6 - Voigtlander 35mm

Typical Lofoten Hut - Leica M6 - Voigtlander 35mm

Nusfjord Fishing Village - Leica M6 - Voigtlander 35mm

Hamnoy Village at sunrise and it’s- Leica M6 - Voigtlander 35mm

Six flights, eight different lodges and hotels and over 500 miles of driving was a very busy nine days. Was it worth it? Definitely… I will return.

What lessons did I learn:

• Keep my gear to the minimal landscape set up

• Definitely use the film cameras more - the results were great

• The central location around Leknes was an ideal location as a base

• No more than two days was needed in each location and travelling around helped the experience

• Be prepared at all times as the light constantly changes throughout the day

• Search other locations and not just the photography honey pots

• Good clothing and footwear is a must have and worth the investment

• Be prepared to change your plans due to the weather - always have a plan B!

• It’s great to do the tourist stuff as well as the photography

• Immerse yourself in the culture

If anyone is interested in more details such as places I stayed and location, then please comment.