Second Visit to Haukland Beach, Lofoten Islands

As the sky was very grey and no real sunset, I concentrated on the various ice and water shapes until the moon rose and provided a blue end to the day

Cambridge United versus Manchester United - Change of Venue

Just heard that they have decided to replay the FA Cup tie on neutral ground at Henninsvaer on the Lofoten Islands. All-weather pitch so no problem with snow. It might be a bit smelly as it is surrounded by cod drying racks. Home team facilities in corner; away team shelter under the rock face. Long-drop toilet over the sea provides all the facilities needed.

Anyway good luck Cambridge for tomorrow evening

Henningsvaer, Lofoten Islands

Very windy morning spent one of the most exposed parts of the island but still lots to see including the drying of the cod for stock fish. The climate in the Lofoten Islands is suited to this method of drying with strong saline-laden winds and cold temperatures. They are hung between January and April and brought into store in June. We sampled dishes made with this dried fish while here - a bit rubbery compared with fresh fish but very edible.

Snowy Day in Leknes, Lofoten Islands

Thursday (29th) saw strong winds and snow so most of the group spent the rest of the day in the Hotel in Leknes once we had transferred in the morning from Reine. Jane and I decided on a local outing, so bundled up in waterproofs and poncho we headed off along the snowy roads on a circular walk around the outskirts of the town. The various trees and building looked wonderful in the soft light and falling snow. The kids were heading home from school carrying skis.As with all images on this trip, there is quite a bit of tidying up of edges etc that I will do when back home with access to Photoshop.

Textures from Flakstad

We only had a short while in fading light to capture the sand patterns on this beach. Enough time to find a few faces, including this owl, flowers, trees etc but not enough to do it justice.

Cold Arctic Evening Light on Lofoten Islands

A wonderful beach full of textures and cold colours with a final moonrise to complete the evening shoot.

Aurora Borealis, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Posting these Aurora shots a bit out of sequence but I know one or two folk will be wanting to see them straightaway - sorry to make you even more envious. Not the most spectacular display I have seen but the location made up for it. 

Fjord Reflections, Lofoten Islands

Reflections on the fjords are so transitory - this one was there for only five minutes before the wind ruffled the surface and it was gone. The close ups are of the salmon farm enclosures; in the last image a flock of Eider ducks floated past making their haunting calls.

Hamnoy Bridge and Sakrisoy Lofoten Islands, Norway

These images were taken within an hour and yet the colour of the light was so different it makes white balance adjustment very tricky and I am not at all happy with the results - the blues tend on the cyan side and if corrected the images look 'muddy'. I only have Lightroom while travelling but I am looking forward to trying some of the Nik suite on them. Of course, Ian will remind me that I should have been travelling with a colour checker passport! The last pair of images are shot at 0.5 sec and 30 secs (using a 10-stop neutral density filter.