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Winter in Norway Trip report for Tom Bol Photo Workshops

Tom and I have always had a special attraction to the Northern Lights. We couldn't pass up the chance to photograph aurora in the jagged Lofoten Islands in Norway. If the skis clear at night in the Lofoten islands, the aurora can be spectacular.

Fortunately, we had excellent weather for our workshop. We drove from Harstad to our lodging in Mortsund passing one snowy, sunlit scene after another. We spent the week staying in scenic red cabins right on the ocean.

Reflections from our lodging
Men in Norwegian hats
On the way to Mortsund

As luck would have it, the aurora was out for us for four nights in a row. After fine tuning our focus and settings on the first night, we switched locations each evening. Our favorite scene was photographing a dazzling aurora over Olstind Peak in the town of Reine.

Olstind Peak with pulsing aurora
Night 2 at the Surfers Beach
Aurora over our cabins in Mortsund

In addition to rugged mountainous terrain, the fishing villages in the Lofoten Islands are quite charming. In one evening we set up at a scenic overlook above the town of Reine and photographed civil twilight, the blue hour and northern lights over the fjord.

Aurora over the city of Reine
Some of the guides are Odd
Civil twilight in Reine

Tom is an ambassador for Singh Ray filters and never travels without his ND filters. We photographed several scenes using ND filters to slow down moving clouds and moving waves in our landscapes

10 stop ND filter from Singh Ray
15 stop ND filter from Singh Ray
15 stop ND filter from Singh Ray

We arrived in the fishing village of Henningsvar in a blizzard. Twenty minutes later the skies cleared just in time to photograph the scenic harbor.

New snow in Henningsvar
Dressed in the colors of the winter ocean

Norway has some of the most spectacular fjords in the world. In Lofoten, there is a fjord around almost every curve in the road. This was our favorite spot for photographing sunset.

Sunset on a remote fjord
This hill was no match for Donna
Scenic roads abound

The fishing town of Nussfjord boasts delcious creamy fish soup and abstract reflections from colorful boats and cabins.

Abstract of a fishing hut
Scenic of a fishing hut

The maze of frozen ice on the local lakes was captivating. We stopped at one location and walked out onto the ice to explore the graphic shapes.

Macro photography on the ice
Ready for anything

For the last two days of the workshop the weather switched to snow and moody skies. We sought out remote locations with splashes of color to show the solitary nature of the homesteads.

Photographing in sleet
Exploring frozen tidepools

Our final stops on the workshop were quaint churches in remote parts of the islands. We used a speed light to illuminate crosses for moody pictures. Sometimes the brooding skies created the mood for us.

Church at Gymsoy
Cross filtration with a Rogue gel to create mood

Thanks to all of the workshop photographers for joining us in Lofoten. We will be photographing aurora in Alaska in 2024 and 2025 and in Finland and Sweden in 2025. Let us know if you are interested in joining us!

Our new headshot from Lofoten, photo credit Keith Eisele
Created By
Cree Bol
Appreciate

Credits:

Tom Bol , Cree Bol, Keith Eisele