Photos from Northern Norway: A photo blog

Taken with Olympus EPL-1 digital camera September 4th 2011. Click image for larger view.

Here is have photographed a couple of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) that I caught in a net when I was visiting Northern Norway in September this year. The herring is one of the most important types of fish on the coast of Norway. We mostly use to catch herring in the fall when schools of the fish come into the fjords. We use the herring both as food and as bait to catch other fish like the Atlantic halibut. If the herring is used for food it is usually fried whole or salted for later use.
Personally I prefer to use herring as bait as I’m not the biggest fan of the special taste from this oily fish.

Check out my other fish pictures here.

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus EPL-1 digital camera
Exposure 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture f/7.1
Focal Length 20 mm
ISO Speed 200
Location: Laupstad (Andørja), Troms in Northern Norway

It has been a long time since I have taken some days off to go abroad. I have actually not been outside Norway for quite a few years because I have prioritized going back to Northern Norway when I have had some days off. I love going back to my home to experience the lovely nature and check out the extreme fishing that happen during the summer. It is also nice to get together with my family and old friends.
But in the future I want to visit other countries for fresh influences and maybe do a bit of photographing that I can share with everyone on this blog.

The next time I am able to take some time off from work, I will try to travel to some exotic locations around the world. I would especially love to go on vacation to some countries outside Europe. The countries that are on top of my list where I want to go is Japan and USA (especially to New York and Los Angeles), but I need to save some money for that kind of long trip. Japan is on top of my list because I have been intrigued by their culture for many years and I also love the Japanese food. I can not imagine how great sushi at the best restaurants in Tokyo must be. Going to USA would also be interesting because it is influencing our life in Norway in so many ways like pop culture and music.
There are also several countries and towns in Europe that I want to visit. I have heard so many good things about Barcelona, in Spain, when it comes to its food and music festivals like the Sonar Festival. I hope to go there next year with some friends during the summer, and visit other parts of Catalonia too while I am there.

When I lived in Northern Norway I used to a bit of mountain climbing to get in shape and experience the adrenalin rush. During that time I went on several climbing trips to Italy and France. All I did during those trips was climb and sleep. I did not have any time for exploring the countries or experiencing the local culture in those countries (except for the great cuisines). I wish I had put aside some time to do this and will definitely be more open minded the next time I go abroad.

Taken with Olympus EPL-1 digital camera July 2nd 2011. Click image for larger view.

Here I have photographed a musk beetle (Aromia moschata) just outside at a place called Bygdøy. It is incredible that you are able to find such beautiful insects so close to a big city.

The musk beetle is very characteristic with coppery or greenish metallic tint and the long antennas (click on the picture to view the insect in a larger view). This beetle can be found in southern Norway and I have seen it several times feeding on trees that has a cut in its trunk. The larvae of musk beetles are known to feed on willow trees and can actually hurt these trees.

Check out my other insect pictures here.

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus EPL-1 digital camera
Exposure 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 42 mm
ISO Speed 320
Location: Bygdøy, Oslo

When I’m out traveling I always bring with me a camera, or two, to document the new places that I visit. Right now I’m using the excellent Olympus E-Pl1 system camera (see picture below) and a larger Olympus E-500 DSLR camera with quite a few lenses. However, there are more fitting cameras out there on the market for travel photography like a kodak easyshare or other camera brands. For me image quality comes first, but if you have a large DSLR camera, more often than not, it will be such a hassle to bring the camera and lenses with you, because they are so heavy and large. No camera means no pictures, and no pictures means me forgetting about all the cool stuff happening on the trip.

Olympus PEN E-PL1

I’m thinking about buying a compact point-and-shot camera that I can bring along my Olymus EP-1 on trips. Many of the travel cameras have very good zoom ranges that can be useful when you don’t want to bring different lenses. Even though compact cameras have a somewhat bad reputation when it comes to image quality, there are many cameras that is able to produce pictures with good image quality (this also depends on how good the photographer is with handling the camera settings). Many camera models also have cool features such as HD video recording, face recognition, art filters and GPS tracking. I used to think these kinds of features were a waste, but after trying them I found them quite useful. One of the most important factors for me when selecting a camera is how it feels in your hands. I use to visit camera stores where I can handle the camera and then maybe purchase it online where I find the best prices.

Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera April 18th 2011. Click image for larger view.

The viviparous lizard (Zootoca vivipara) is the only lizard that lives in Norway. It is also known as common lizard and can be found in large parts of Norway. I’ve never seen lizards in Northern Norway, but they are found in a few places in Nordland and Troms, and in large parts of Finnmark. On Nesodden I have often observed lizards on rocks in the sun that disappears quickly when they come aware of risks. According to Wikipedia the common lizard preys on insects and spiders, but is hunted by birds and snakes.

I found this lizard under a stone where it lay perfectly still. It had not woken up from hibernation and thus I got the chance to get close in on the lizard to take this picture. I recommend you to click on the image to see it in large size.

Please check out my other close up / macro images on this page.

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Exposure 0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture f/8.0
Focal Length 150 mm
ISO Speed 400
Lens: Sigma 150mm F2.8 EX APO DG HSM Macro
Location: Fjellstrand in Nesodden, Akershus in southeast of Norway

I have decided that it is time to move to a big city. After living in the countryside, outside Oslo, for almost three years I figured I would try out how it will be to live in the biggest city in Norway, Oslo. A couple of weeks ago I found a small apartment in a part of Oslo called St. Hanshaugen. The rent prices in Oslo are very high so I have to figure out ways to save money. Since the apartment does not come with any furnishing I have to a bit of shopping to make my place cozy and presentable. One way is to shop imported home furnishings that can be found on the internet or check out flea markets in Oslo as there are many flea markets in the spring. Both solutions can be good ways of saving a bit of money.

I am very excited to move to Oslo, and St Hanshaugen seems like a really nice place as it is located in the middle of the eastern (the poorer and cooler side) part and the western (the rich side) part of Oslo. There are many possibilities in Oslo and the culture life is very rich. I am especially looking forward to check out the music and clubbing scene as it has been pretty limited for me when I lived outside Oslo and had to travel by boat to get home. It will also be good to live closer to where I work as I have been using many hours per week traveling to work. Traveling so much every day gets a bit tiring in the long run.

Here is a picture from a part of Oslo called Aker Brygge that I visit several times a week: