After too many years of dreaming, I finally reached one of my photography bucket list locations In February 2023, The Lofoten Islands, Norway.
Three connecting flights from the UK and 14 hours later, I arrived in a tiny plane in a snowstorm in Lekness. As soon as I stepped foot in the arctic circle, I knew I was in for an adventure of a lifetime.
The Islands are a photographer's dream, with so many compelling compositions to be had. One of the main attractions for me was the brightly coloured huts, mostly tourist rentals these days but historically connected to the fishing trade. One such location is Sakrisoy, with its mustard / yellow cabins. However, what struck me was the brilliant turquoise sea on the Islands, and I knew that this combination of colours would work well in a composition.
Like anybody visiting a place for the first time, I had spent some time researching and seeing a similar composition to this but had always assumed it was a drone shot. Having not taken my drone, I assumed this was out of reach for me, but on arrival in Sakrisoy, I noted a small hill overlooking the harbour. I instantly knew this would provide a fantastic vantage point and climbed it. I was not disappointed.
I set about composing my image but struggled with the high winds that seemed to rise from nowhere in Lofoten, so any long exposure was out of the question. Nevertheless, I managed my shutter speed, aperture and ISO to give me a realistic chance of a sharp image and settled on 1/10th of a second, keeping the tripod as low as possible and shielding it with my body. I used a 2-second delay to prevent camera shake.
This image is from a single composition, as I avoided using filters given the conditions and bracketing. If this image serves to inspire the viewer to visit, then that's just great!
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