Lofoten is one of those places I always dream of going back to. It is different from any other place I have been.
It’s raw. Brutal. Wet. Cold. Dark.
My first encounter was when I served in the army here in Norway. We were headed to Lofoten to learn how to climb. It was raining downwards, sideways, and so hard that it felt as if the rain was hitting me from below as well.
Needless to say, climbing in those conditions was terrible, but that was the point. We had to learn to endure, and to find solutions when conditions were rough.
I hated it. In the evenings I just stayed in my bed, still freezing from the long and wet days on the mountain wall.
But when we headed back to base after nearly a week, I knew that Lofoten had left a mark on me. I wasn’t scarred though. I wanted to come back. I wanted to feel the storms, the winter, the dark.
So back I went, several times. Later I brought my wife. She hated it too. Perhaps next year it is time to bring my daughter.
Below are photos from one of my trips to Lofoten. Aside from the time time I was there while serving in the army, this journey is by far the one I remember best.
The weather was crazy. Storm basically every day. You could experience sunlight for five minutes, only for it to be interrupted by a crazy snowstorm. Planning was impossible. You just had to go out and hope for the best. During one of these storms, my tripod got knocked over and one of my cameras fell straight into the North Sea. Nothing survives that.
Three chapters, 15 photos.
Thank you for looking. Comments and critique are always welcome, but mostly I just hope you are able to see some glimpses of what Lofoten has to offer.
junglialoh wrote:
Thanks to your sharing the naked reality of Lofoten - very realistic expression
Thank you so much! So happy to hear that you found the photos realistic.
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Bernard Wolf wrote:
I don't see images...only this.
I think flickr have some problems with shared links these days, hopefully it wont go on too long. It appears to affect people rather randomly.
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jgurbisz wrote:
These are fantastic! I normally don't love black and white, but these are an exception for me. Very moody. Photos one and seven are my faves.
Thank you! I have a hard time picking favourites myself, but number 1 is one of them.
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Monika C wrote:
Wonderful series, very different from the "standard" Lofoton shots. Hope your daughter doesn't hate it!
Thank you, Monika! Lets see, hopefully we can go there next March (which is usually quite "volatile").
