LOFOTEN ISLANDS - DREAMS COME TRUE BEYOND THE ARCTIC CIRCLE...
Lofoten is my favorite photographic destination and it is also where I organize the largest number of photo expeditions. Those who haven't visited Lofoten yet can only regret it. On a relatively small piece of land, nature offers endless mountains, fjords, beaches...plus a beautiful Aurora Borealis. What more could a landscaper ask for.
Pyramid in Green. Panorama compiled from total of 9 frames (3 exposures in three rows, 9 averaged exposures, 3-level focus bracketing).
LOFOTEN VERSUS ICELAND
In my preferences, Lofoten easily outperformed Iceland. I'll admit that I used to like Iceland a lot, but what's been happening there in recent years really isn't my cup of tea. Endless crowds of tourists in the off-season (not to mention the summer season), and everywhere. Led by crowds of rude Chinese who will happily stand a metre in front of your tripod when taking a photo of the sunrise. How refreshing to meet decent and well-mannered fellow photographers from Singapore, Japan, Korea in Iceland. Parking lots for endless lines of buses are being built everywhere, and even the once-quiet hinterland is much the same.
Lofoten is the opposite. Apart from the notorious Reine and the beaches of Skagsanden and Uttakleiv, you'll see photographers or other tourists only very sporadically. Moreover, the number of hills is almost endless, the views are different and beautiful every time. And if you don't want to climb hills, the beaches in Lofoten are also countless. But not only that. It is said that the Lofoten Islands are short on waterfalls. Just behind our house there is a cascade of waterfalls, the highest of which is well over 80 metres high.
Frozen Reine. Panorama compiled from total of 45 frames (3-level exposure bracketing of 15 frames in two rows; 2-level focus bracketing).
WHEN TO GO TO THE LOFOTEN?
The phenomenon itself is the Aurora Borealis. The Lofoten Islands are much further north than Iceland, and this of course positively affects the ability to see and photograph the Northern Lights. I can't count the number of times I've been to Lofoten, either privately or with expeditions, and I've seen the Northern Lights every time. I often get questions from photographers that they would like to go on an expedition with me, but which date to choose? When are the Lofoten Islands most beautiful and when is the best time to see the Aurora Borealis? And my answer is the same every time - Lofoten is always beautiful. In the winter months we get a lot of snow and it is common to get 25 cm of snow within an hour and then the sun comes out. Of course, we are then a bit limited in our ability to climb the hills and it takes knowledge of the place and conditions for the photographer to know which hill to climb and conversely which one might be the last hill he or she will climb in his or her life.
The advantage of Lofoten, however, is the fact that they are close to the Gulf Stream. Thanks to this, there is no danger of extremely low weather temperatures and winter in Lofoten is usually richer in snow than in the rest of Europe, but the temperatures are milder and do not fall too far below freezing. This is truly exceptional beyond the Arctic Circle.
Beyond the Arctic Circle. Panorama compiled from total of 84 frames (3-level exposure bracketing of 25 frames in two rows, 9 antireflective frames, 2-level focus bracketing).
September offers Lofoten without snow, but full of beautiful autumn colours and we can climb almost every peak we like. I won't forget September 2017, when I spent more than three weeks in Lofoten without a break. While in the Czech Republic September was not very dazzling, in Lofoten we had sunshine all the time and 16 degrees. Just great. November really offers a lot of late autumn colours, but combined with snow-capped peaks, which gives the photos an extra dimension. Plus, the sun is so low on the horizon that you can shoot all day long. That's why I called the November date "Endless Lofoten". Just endless shooting. All these dates are more than suitable for Aurora viewing. Now take your pick :)
Dancing Queen. Panorama compiled from total of 5 frames (2 exposures in two rows, averaged exposures, 2-level focus bracketing).
WHAT WE SHOULD NOT FORGET TO TAKE WITH US
Photography in Lofoten, in terms of equipment, does not have any special demands on the photographer and we can get by with ordinary photographic equipment as when shooting in the Europe. However, one thing is different. In Lofoten, filters are used more than anywhere else. I probably don't need to mention that I definitely don't mean graduated ND filters, which I consider a relic of the times and "old school" photography. Instead, we have far more accurate and precise exposure bracketing, a feature that almost every DSLR and better compact has today. I am referring to two types of filters - polarizing and ND filters. I must admit that without these two types of filters I couldn't even imagine shooting at Lofoten, especially when it comes to compositions with the sea. I use only screw filters, because the lens hood provides protection not only from the sun but also from water splashes. I probably don't need to tell you that a polarizing filter effectively filters out reflections, both on the water surface and on rocks on the beach. Therefore, in the case of shooting on rocky beaches in particular, I find a polarizing filter really indispensable.
And ND filters? An ND filter is actually nothing more than dark glass of varying darkness intensity and its purpose is to extend the exposure time. Again, a fact we probably all know. And we probably also know that there are basically three ways to shoot water. For very short time, the water will be "frozen", which is probably not very attractive for most landscape shots, as the texture of the water is reminiscent of family outing photos taken during midday with a compact in the bright sun. A "medium" time will give us a very pleasing texture on the water and we can capture individual segments of waterfalls or crashing waves, and a very long time will allow us to "smooth" the water surface with varying intensity, even to the point of a motionless homogeneous surface.
Zig Zag. Panorama compiled from total of 2 frames (2 exposures in two rows).
But what intensity of darkening filter to choose and what brand? The answer to the first question is not clear. I most often use filters that reduce the light by 6 or 10 EV (ND 64x, ND 1000x). But of course this is not a dogma, it depends on our creativity. But more important than the intensity of the darkening is the quality of the filter itself. First of all, let's avoid cheap filters for a few dollars from who knows what country. These filters have fundamental flaws - they significantly spoil the quality, but especially with these filters there are different color shifts, which are uncorrectable in post-processing. It is therefore practically essential to buy really good quality filters. There are several very well-known international brands. However, I have recently been attracted to the NiSi brand.
Reine. Panorama compiled from total of 24 frames (3-level exposure bracketing of 8 frames in two rows).