"A man is a very small thing, and the night is very large and full of wonders." -Lord Dunzany

Seasons

Et Voila!

I reported on clear skies and a hope for northern light yesterday. And my dreams came through! Here is the first of the photos. It was a “flash” at the beginning of the show, and the reason why I picked this, is simply because of the really cool reflections in the fjord. This was taken at 20 seconds exposure, which makes it kind of blurry, but still it came out nice with a little adjustments for white balance.

Northern Lights behind clouds reflecting into the Ofoten Fjord. Narvik peninsula to the right.

Northern Lights behind clouds reflecting into the Ofoten Fjord. Narvik peninsula to the right.


Northern Lights Alert

…well it isn’t – Northern Lights Alert, that is.. But as you can see from this image shot and hour ago, the conditions are clear, and even though the statistics for aurora tonight (se graphic to the right) isn’t way up in the red end of the scale – I’m hoping to see and maybe shoot a photo of the first aurora this fall.

Clear skies tonight - hoping for aurora

Clear skies tonight – hoping for aurora


Flamy Clouds

Was on my way to the store to stock up for det weekend, when I stumbled on this beautiful cloud. So out with the camera, and as it happened, I decided to go for an HDR-photo. So this photo is a composite of 3 photos shot with different exp. comp. (-1 to +1).

Dramatic and beautifully painted clouds above the inner parts of Ofoten Fjord by Ankenes / Narvik (please click photo to see the full size)

Dramatic and beautifully painted clouds above the inner parts of Ofoten Fjord by Ankenes / Narvik (please click photo to see the full size)


Silent Night by the Fjord

Shot this composite last night. The growth of forest here on Ankenes is tremendous, but not many seems to care. Thus just popping out to get a shot of the beautiful scenery gets harder and harder due to obstruction of trees.

Anyway, was about to go to bed, when very calm water in Narvik harbor basin lured me with its beautiful reflections to set up my tripod and take a few shots. Unfortunately, a lot of the view is now totally obscured by the trees growing ever bigger around here.

Panorama of a calm Narvik Harbor Basin (please, click on the picture to see the full size)

Panorama of a calm Narvik Harbor Basin (please, click on the picture to see the full size)


This nights tranquility by the Ofoten Fjord

This nights tranquility by the Ofoten Fjord

This nights tranquility by the Ofoten Fjord


Quick stop in The Natural World

Went a quick trip to the cottage to drop of some stuff today. And the nature is wild and serene out there! Picked up a few snapshots for you to enjoy – however, it’s nothing without the sights and sounds..!


Quick shots in between all the work

I haven’t been out as much today. Took a break though, and shot a few pictures…


Midnight Sun HDR

No, haven’t dropped dead – just been crazy busy. Finally back in Northern Norway, and the midnight sun is shining straight in my face as I write these lines. Probably time to force myself to bed. It is pretty hard when your brain is telling you: -hey, the sun is shining. Why sleep? It isn’t night yet…

Well, while I’m forcing my way into bed, you can enjoy this HDR photo I shot about an hour ago…

HDR of the midnight sun - Narvik

HDR of the midnight sun – Narvik


Cloudscapes – Ankenes

These beautiful clouds indicating a shift in the weather, was caught today while out hunting for a “Second-Day-of-Summer-photo.

Cloudscapes - Slightly turbulent clouds up through the various layers of atmosphere

Cloudscapes - Slightly turbulent clouds up through the various layers of atmosphere


Second Day of Summer

14. April is – according to the ancient Norwegian calendars, Runic Calendars (primstav) the first day of summer. Hence today would be the second day of summer. As you can see, the fjord today is calm like on a beautiful summer day – but the snow reveals that we still have som way to go before the spring feeling turns into a summer feeling…

Second Day of Summer by the Ofoten Fjord

Second Day of Summer by the Ofoten Fjord


(Very) Early Morning Scenery

Never ever burn yourself out on negative stress. There is a very fine line between positive stress (I am busy, but I am coping) and negative stress (I am busy, I am not coping and the world is in utter chaos / I am experiencing traumatic events and don’t have the time or the resources to cope with it).

Without going into the finer details of what negative stress does to you psychologically and biochemically – once you crossed the line into negative stress it can have a serious – life shortening – impact on your health like insomnia, which I am suffering from. But insomnia has its perks (no, just kidding). At least you get to see your surroundings at all possible hours. So failing to do what I was supposed to do, I made this photo at 5 am standard time (6 am DST) of the sunrise gleem.

Early Morning in Narvik

Early Morning in Narvik


Ofoten Fjord in Early Springtime

Ofoten Fjord in Early Springtime

Ofoten Fjord in Early Springtime - Freshly fallen snow lights up the scenery


Mountain in the light of dusk

Mountain lit up by the evening sun

Mountain lit up by the evening sun