Norway: Snitz in the land of the Midnight Sun

“What’s the best location you’ve ever photographed?”. I get asked that a lot! Usually, I look stumped and can’t answer. Now I can; the Western Coast of Norway.

Part of my attraction is the scenery. You have vertical peaks jutting out of an endless supply of lakes. You find yourself driving from one fjord to another, through an amazing system of tunnels as you pass under mountains to successive bomber views. Nuts! Along the way, every 5-10 minutes, you pass a quaint fishing village.

BTW there are zero billboards and practically no stop lights. Just unspoiled postcard views.

But that’s not the most compelling part.

It’s the light! Located very far North (further than most of Alaska) in late summer, it never gets dark. The sun sets around 11 pm and comes up again around 3 am. During that time the sky can stay red for hours. Sunsets and sunrises never seem to end. Magic for a photographer.

And amazing hiking? Try treking up a 2,500-foot mountain at 930pm, arriving as the sun sets and seeing nobody. No crowds! Pretty surreal.

Ok, what’s the catch? Well, it typically rains every 3rd or 4th day. You can get slammed by weather. And as you may have guessed, to take advantage of this great “light” you’re staying up through the Norweigan nights (basically remaining on Central Standard Time). And yes, the food is crazy expensive (however the fish is top-notch).

My trip started in the Village of Senja, a quiet fishing village.

11 pm and families are out enjoying the great color!

A few hours later it’s still red out there, and the tide is out, creating this great river effect. Normally the entire foreground would be underwater.

The tidal action creates these cool lines along the beach.

Taken with a drone over 1,000 feet up. A perspective you seldom see from the road.

Talk about getting a different perspective! Here’s the view atop Mt. Husfjellet. The climb up takes about 90 minutes (& can be pretty muddy after a rain)!