Written by
Elias Vane
Landscape & travel photographer, Bergen. Writes between trips.
Filed under
Field notes
In February the sun barely clears the mountains, and the best light of the day lasts about forty minutes. Here’s how I plan around it.
Most people go to Lofoten for the aurora. I go for the hour before it, when the snow turns the colour of ink and the red cabins in Hamnøy glow like coals against it. Blue hour up here is long, soft and very cold, and it rewards anyone willing to stand still in it.
Plan for the light, not the location
I build every day around three numbers: sunrise, sunset and cloud cover at the horizon. A clear sky straight overhead is useless if there’s a bank of cloud sitting on the sea to the south. I check two forecasts, pick a primary spot and a backup within twenty minutes’ drive, and commit early.
Stay longer than feels reasonable
The frame that became the cover of Salt & Granite was taken eleven minutes after I’d packed my tripod away. The light came back for less than a minute. If there is one rule I keep relearning, it is that you leave when the light has finished, not when you’re cold.
If you’re planning a winter trip and want to talk routes or timing, I run two small field workshops here each year. Details are on the services page.
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