Norway

April 2024

I seem to have unintentionally created a tradition over the last few years of visiting colder climates during the tail end of winter and into spring. Having visited Iceland in 2023 and the alps the year prior, my Norwegian trip of April 2024 was eagerly anticipated, as landscape photography in these colder climates has definitely become one of my most favourite things to photograph. I think the deep greens of the evergreens and glacial blues are somewhat addictive with how appealing they look both in person and on screen. I have to say, Norway delivered so much more than I expected.

Full disclaimer I actually visited Norway on a Norwegian cruise. Something I understand is not for everyone, the lack of control over where you visit, the dependency on the weather and the time constraints are not the greatest pairing for someone who loves the freedom and limitless nature that traveling and the outdoors provide. However despite this I rather enjoyed myself.

Stop 1, Stavanger

The first stop on the itinerary was Stavanger, an extremely colourful city with an abundance of museums and cafes. Despite the rain I spent the morning wandering around the streets with nothing really planned, snapped a few shots of the architectures but overall it wasn’t my favourite place for photography during my trip. The weather may have played a part in this but I struggled for inspiration and I felt a lot of my photos were quite similar. To the point I actually still haven’t been through and edited the vast majority. The exception however was the street art, for which I am already a bit of a sucker. There were particular parts of the city where it felt like a scene from Ready Player One or Wall-E, which were a stark difference to the otherwise perfectly placed gingerbread house streets. My favourite of all was Geoparken, a children’s play area built from various parts used within oil and gas industries which has been completely covered in art. Icing on the cake was the timing of getting to see someone in the process of creating their work.

Stop 2, Olden

Day 2 kicked off early with a sunrise start to catch the views as we cruised through the fjords into Olden. Arguably my favourite day and a constant reminder as I looked around of why I love landscape photography so much. I spent the first hour of the morning on deck photographing the sunlight hitting the mountain peaks until the sun had risen enough to completely light up the hill side. It was bitterly cold, and as it got to the point where my fingers could barely move and my cheeks hurt from the wind I decided to head into the buffet and warm up with a cup of coffee, continuing to get some shots through the window. These ‘views from breakfast’ have actually become some of my favourite photos I have ever taken. 

I spent the morning at Briksdal Glacier, a coach ride from the ship followed by a decent walk from the car park – which definitely required the stomach full of croissants and fruit I had consumed in preparation for such an event. And though admittedly this is only the second glacier I have ever seen in person, it was by far my favourite. The walk itself is a thing of beauty, the path you walk is  surrounded by rock faces stretching into the clouds, waterfalls cascading down them. Then as you reach the furthest point in to the valley the glacier and the small lake provide the most calming and tranquil setting while you get your breath back. It is mesmerising.

The afternoon was spent skimming rocks and gently strolling around town looking in souvenir shops. Of course providing the optimal chance to stumble upon something incredible. Nestled within the homes and shops was the most beautiful small wooden church. I’m not usually one for detail shots, I find them tricky to frame and unsatisfying to edit, however it felt like a crime to not give it a go here. The outside consisted of white cladding and a tile roof, but the inside boasted the most simplistic yet incredibly intricate craftsmanship of carpentry from the pews to the decorative carvings and engravings, and the ceiling alone was something to behold. My favourite part about it was it wasn’t even a hidden gem. It was smack bang in the middle of the village, directly opposite the tourist shops and yet I spent the best part of half an hour in there alone. 

Stop 3, Ålesund

Upon arriving in Ålesund for our third stop I wasn’t immediately under any spells, but I had heard some great views could be found from, what I later found out, didn’t require the 400 steps it advertises in the brochure. I enjoyed the walk around town, the inclined streets coupled with the late winter sun provided some beautiful shadows across the buildings and the walk along the harbour became an addictive pass time when people watching as the canoes and paddle boarders set about their excursions. 

Later in the afternoon I decided to set about the walk to reach the top of Mount Aksla. A 180 meter high, 400 step journey to unmatched views down over the town. I entered Byparken which immediately halted my climb as I stopped for a few portraits over the adorable wooden bridges with the picturesque trees making up the background. The park itself is a beautiful place to just sit an do nothing. Upon descending the steps later that afternoon I actually chose to just sit near the water feature for a while and catch my breath. But first, the climb! The views actually get pretty good from only a short way up, so if you don’t fancy the entire climb, you won’t have to miss out. For me personally I actually preferred the photos I took at this level and I ended up editing very few from the highest point. However, there are few places to stop on the way up that don’t inconvenience other people, the path is narrow and with people both going up and coming down, you do bring everyone to a stop if you chose to pause for a moment. 

Stop 4, Haugesund

The final stop was Haugesund. Here I booked on to the Viking Village tour and didn’t see much of the actual city. The replica village was smaller than I anticipated with very few things in the way of photography that took my interest, the history element however, captivating. 

And thus concluded my trip. Norway is somewhere I would love to see more of on my own terms, and from what I saw I think a road trip would be my plan for when I return. That being said I did appreciate some of the photos I took on board when sailing to and from a location that I wouldn’t have been able to have taken any other way. 

I used my A7iii with a 50mm for the majority of my trip as well as the kit lens here and there.

If you’d like to watch our cruise series you can do so here 🙂