Nordland Magnets

Six months ago, I stood on the Hamnøya bridge in Norway's Lofoten Islands watching the entire world light up in pink as the sun peeked over the horizon at 11am. 11am in summer couldn't be more different! The dominant colours were blue and green and everywhere around there was the buzz of activity, whether it was the never-ending stream of cars across the bridge or the boats crossing underneath the bridge below. Some things stayed constant though -- the mountains, the rorbuer, and somehow, my location on the bridge so I could get the same composition in two photos six months apart. Location: Hamnøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway Camera: Nikon DF w/ 16-35mm f/4 lens (left half), Nikon D750 w/ 24-70mm f/2.8 lens and Lee Big Stopper fil...

Reine turns a gorgeous blue colour as dawn slowly comes to Northern Norway in winter. The lights of the town have yet to turn off -- after all, why would they need to? It was only 9am!

What a morning this was. I arrived in Reine late at night and awoke to see the fjord stretched out in front of me and Olstind Mountain towering above it all. Gorgeous.

From the RIB boat that was taking me out for a winter snorkeling trip, I could see perfect reflections of the rorbuer that I called my home for two nights. I love how their red stands out against the natural blues and whites of the fjord.

The beautiful clear skies of the morning gave way to moody clouds in the afternoon, which gave the gorgeous setting of Reine a completely different feel. I thought it worked particularly well for the beautiful little church in the town.

Flowers and greenery: two things you don't see in Reine in winter! This visit was a very different one to my previous two, and it was interesting to see the area in such a different light! This image and many more will be featured in my upcoming "Guide to Lapland and Northern Norway in Summer." If you'd like to learn more, head over to http://www.lapland.travel.

Our first morning in the Lofoten Islands also coincided with the first morning they had seen the sun peek over the horizon since the early days of December. With colours like this in the sky, we couldn't help but to pull over on our drive out of Henningsvær and capture the scene. If you want to read more about what it was like to drive in Norway in winter, check out my recent blog post at http://www.bootsandabackpack.com/best-ways-drive-norwegian-fjord/ .

Sunlight and Icicles

The gorgeous village of Reine, bathed in the blue of winter twilight. This image was captured around 9.15am; the sun wouldn't peek above the horizon until 11am.

I set out to walk the length of Svinøya Island in Svolvær to see some stockfish (cod that spend all winter drying on racks around the Lofoten Islands) up close and personal. While I was successful in this mission, I was also saw some absolutely stunning views of the fjord surrounding Lofoten's capital as well.

In the centre on the mountain side is the formation called "Svolværgeita," or the goat of Svolvær. In the summer you can climb to the top of it and stand in the goat's horns!

A RIB (rigid inflatable boat) ready to head out to sea for a snorkeling trip. Yes, I jumped in a snow-filled RIB to go snorkelling in winter. Yes, I may be a bit crazy.

The old city of Trondheim and Nidelva River at evening. Norway

Later in the day, these clouds would be my bane as they sunk down and obscured the mountains completely. However, as I packed up to leave Å, the town at the end of the Lofoten Islands, they made for a beautiful sight.

Olstind Mountain stands high above the town of Reine in the Lofoten Islands of Northern Norway. From any angle, it is impressive, but in the RIB boat where I had a perfect view of the reflection on the calm waters, it was absolutely stunning.

I'm sure that jetty is used by laughing children diving into the water in summer. On this day in early March, it was eerily quiet.

The coastline of the Lofoten Islands, as seen from the RIB boat that took me out snorkelling, could not have been more spectacular if it tried. The snowy frosting on top of the mountains just served to make it even more beautiful.

Reflections of the mountains surrounding Reinefjord, seen in the little harbour near the Statoil Station. Reine Rorbuer can be seen on the left side of the harbour.

A few lone seagulls, stragglers from the massive squawking group chasing the fishermen out to sea that morning, waiting for the afternoon's catch and a possible feed at the docks of Reinefjord.

One of the many bridges of Reine -- this one stretching between Hamnøya and Little Toppøya. We saw this scene as we headed back towards the fjord for our third, and final, snorkelling spot.

The main thing that drew us to this scene as we drove down the E10 into the Lofoten Islands was the sheer calm of the fjord's water beside us. We never saw a body of water this calm again for the rest of our trip! This was my last shot of the evening, and I was a bit sad when a car drove past and lit up the foreground...but it actually added a nice golden touch to the few surviving plants there.

The amazing view of all the mountains that surround Reinefjord in Norway's Lofoten Islands, as seen from the RIB boat that was taking me out for a quick winter snorkeling trip.

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All I can hear when I look at this photo is the raucous din of Reine's ever-present seagulls, seen just to the right of the dock as they swoop and play just above the near-freezing waters of the fjord. This was such a change from the day before, when clear blue skies and golden light filled the fjord, but it was still a stunning scene. Even as the snow moved back in and completely blocked my view of the mountains, I wondered why I had to leave.

No matter what angle you have -- whether you are on land or on a snow-filled RIB boat on the water like I was when I took this shot -- Reine is a magical, gorgeous place. I can't believe I'll be heading back there -- and to the rest of Lofoten -- in January! I'll be doing 4 days of photography there with my friend Ben Ashmole (from Ashmole Photography) and I can't wait to be in the land of magical light, red cabins, and the northern lights once again!

Barely two hours after the sun had risen on our first day in the Lofoten Islands in January, it started to dip back below the horizon. We stopped at a rocky beach on the side of the E10 (the main road through the islands) to capture this scene.

Trondheim, Trondelag, Norway. The old city of Trondheim and Nidelva River at evening.

In the Lofoten Islands, stockfish is an institution. For much of the winter, fishermen head out to sea to catch as much cod as possible, which is then hung on these racks to dry. It makes the islands smell a bit off, but you get used to it!

Reine, in the Lofoten Islands, is an incredibly special place. While this wasn't the rorbu (old fisherman's cottage) that I stayed in, I had a very similar view from mine. I couldn't believe the view as I looked out the window on my first morning there. It was only slightly more unbelievable than the fact that I was about to go snorkeling from a boat covered in snow in water that was 4ºC! Prior to visiting Reine, New Zealand was the only place I was really intent on visiting again and again. Now I have another place on my 'must go back to' list -- and in both winter and summer too!

My footprints were the only ones wandering in between the rorbuer and underneath the empty stockfish drying racks on this morning in early March. I'm happy they were empty -- it made the air a bit easier to breathe!

LOFOTEN - FLAKSTAD KIRKE

Bodø Norway. Designed in the official Norwegian flag colors red, white and blue. Designed in Norway.

NORWAY - GIMSOYA

NORWAY - REINE

LOFOTEN - REINE

NORWAY - UTTAKLEIV

Reine Norway. Designed in the official Norwegian flag colors.