The Lofoten Islands of Norway
Come join me as we explore one of the most amazing winter photography locations on the planet, Norway’s own Lofoten Islands. Located above the arctic circle, these islands are home to some of the most spectacular seascapes in Europe. Additionally, because of its latitude, you have a greater chance to see the Northern Lights here than most places on the planet. During our 7 day adventure, we will split our focus between the famous town of Reine and the mountainous beaches of Leknes. This will put your right at the heart of some of the most incredible photographic location in the world!
Trip Dates
February 7th – 14th, 2020
Tuition Costs
$3850
Group Size
8-12
Difficulty Level
Easy/Moderate
Our photo adventure in the Lofoten Islands will base just outside the town of Leknes for the duration of our workshop. There are multiple daily flights from Oslo to the Leknes Airport (LKN), giving you plenty of options to choose from when it comes to getting to this incredible part of the world. We will be staying in a series of fully renovated Rorbuer cabins that come equipped with not only private bathrooms in each room (with heated floors), but a living room area and full kitchen. It is here that we will make our own meals each night, allowing all participants to not only choose what they wish to eat, but save a little money in the process (eating out in Norway is VERY expensive).
When we are not out chasing the northern lights at night, we will be exploring a series of incredible fjords, beaches, inlets, lakes and mountain scenes through the region that stems from Leknes to the town of Reine and beyond. In addition, we will spend time photographing a number of the gorgeous red and yellow cabins that line the fjords in this part of the world. The Lofoten Islands are a photographers paradise and I can’t wait to show you why it is one of my favorite places to photograph in the winter.
What is Included?
- All Ground Transportation
- All Hotel Accommodations
- All Photo Education
What is Not Included?
- All Flights
- Meals & Snacks
- Travel Insurance
With two photo instructors present for the duration of the workshop, you will have plenty of opportunity for one on one instruction to further the skills that you feel you need to work on. If the workshop is full and you wanted to be added to the waiting list, click HERE.
* please read the workshop F.A.Q. section on this page to learn more about visiting Norway and check out our cancellation policies if you have any questions.
The Beauty of The Lofoten Islands
Areas to Explore
- Leknes
- Reine
- Hamnoy Bridge
- Agvatnet Lake
- Utakliev Beach
- Haukland Beach
- Skagsanden Beach
- Ramberg
- Flagstad
- Mortsund
- and more...
What Will You Experience?
F.A.Q
The workshop starts of February 7th, 2020 in Leknes, Norway where we will pick you up at the airport when you arrive. If you prefer to arrive a day early, we can also pick you up from your hotel in the area.
The workshop ends on February 14th, 2020 in Leknes, Norway where we will drop you off at the airport after a final sunrise shoot. Look for a flight to leave Leknes after 12 (Noon) to make sure we have enough time.
You will fly into the Leknes Airport (LKN) located above the Arctic Circle in Northern Norway. You must first fly to Oslo (OSL) and then purchase a domestic flight uses SAS Airlines to get to Leknes.
While the Lofoten Islands are located above the Arctic Circle, the temperatures found here are fairly nominal when compared to Winter in many other locations around the globe. You can expect it to usually hover around 32 degrees F or 0 degrees C on average.
Yes. We will be based out a number of incredibly comfortable and picturesque red cabins, located 15 minutes south of the city of Leknes. We will stay here for our entire trip, using it as our base of operations as we move throughout the Lofoten Islands each day and night to photograph amazing things.
The cabins we stay in have full kitchens, giving us the ability to make our own meals. This way we are not tied to any sort of meal schedule or timing of any of the local restaurants in Leknes. Every two or three days we will stop by the local grocery store and stock up on items for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. These stores have everything you would find at your local large grocery store in North America.
The Lofoten Islands are one of my favorite places in the world to witness and photograph the Northern Lights. We will be so far North, that even low aurora activity is often visible given the right conditions. However, for a truly magical experience, we will want clear skies, cold temperatures and large solar flare activity coming off the sun. None of this is guaranteed but is highly likely this time of year.
Outside of your camera gear, tripod, and warm winter clothes, I highly recommend that you bring a pair of gaiters to keep water out of your boots while photographing seascapes as well as a pair of Microspikes, to help you easily move around on ice and frozen snow.
Meet Your Instructors & Guides
Colby Brown
Owner/Photographer/Author
Colby Brown is a photographer, photo educator and author based out of Eastern Pennsylvania. Specializing in landscape, travel and humanitarian photography, his photographic portfolio spans the four corners of the globe and all 7 continents. Not too long after picking up his first digital camera in 2006, Colby was leading workshops for National Geographic in South America, further spurring his love for both travel and photo education. In 2011, he founded The Giving Lens, an organization that blends photo education with support for various non-governmental organizations (NGO) and causes around the world, such as child education, clean drinking water projects, and women’s rights.
Pedro Kin
Workshop Manager/Photo Instructor
Pedro is a Portuguese landscape photographer based in Slovakia but you’ll often find him in the most scenic mountains, forests, and fjords of Europe. Favoring the cold landscapes and the unspoiled nature of northern Europe, the higher latitudes do not stop him from going after the perfect shot. When not traveling the world with his camera, you can find him back home teaching workshops, testing new gear and experimenting with photography.
Speaks: English, Portuguese & Spanish
Testimonials
I had the pleasure of going with Colby to the Lofoten Islands, Norway in February 2016. I greatly benefited from Colby’s extensive knowledge and his willingness to answer any photography question from mechanics to style and the realities of the business.(...)
I greatly appreciated Colby's philosophy about this photo workshop, which included providing one-on-one advice in the field and deciding where to go for photos based on up-to-the-minute forecasts of auroras and the weather (instead of a fixed daily itinerary).(...)
I originally signed up for the workshop with Colby to become more familiar with my Sony mirrorless camera. I had not anticipated seeing the Northern lights but Colby’s experience with chasing the aurora gave us a number of opportunities. He managed to get us to(...)
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Cancellation & Refund Policy
No one wants to miss out on a trip of a life time…but things do happen. In those situations, the following applies…
All cancellations are subject to a minimum of a $150 service charge. In addition, if you cancel and your spot is otherwise filled, you will be refunded the full amount you have paid (minus the $150 service charge). However if you cancel and your spot is not filled, the following fee schedule applies:
- 90 days or more: full refund minus $150 fee
- 60 days or more: 50% refund
- Less than 60 days: no refund