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

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

This Christmas I visited the family in Northern Norway. There was a few moments where I got time for some photo shooting in the familiar surroundings in the north. Here I was walking at the coastline and I found these ice flakes to be pretty with the winter mountain (that often appears in my photos) in the background. I had to photograph the winter landscape to document another winter in the north!

The light that one can experience midwinter in Northern Norway is pretty awesome with its deep blue colors and signs of the sun coming back, but one got to remember thick clothes and gloves suited for photography.

Please see my other winter pictures here.

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-PL1 digital camera
Exposure 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture f/3.5
Focal Length 14 mm
ISO Speed 200
Lens: Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6
Location: Laupstad (Andørja), Troms in Northern Norway

I missed the lunar eclipse on the 21st, but the full moon on the 22nd of December was pretty nice with a red color and a few clouds to add effects. I photographed the moon just before it went behind some mountains on an island called Senja. The full moon seems to have a special red color at this time of the year. If you take a look at this picture, that I photographed 3 years ago at about the same time of the winter, you can see that the moon also back then had a reddish color.

Please have a look at my other pictures of the moon here.

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Exposure 0.05 sec (1/20)
Aperture f/11.0
Focal Length 300 mm
ISO Speed 100
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 70-300mm F4.0-5.6
Location: Laupstad (Andørja), Troms in Northern Norway

There is about 30 species of grasshoppers in Norway and I hope I can photograph more species next summer.

Check out my other insect pictures here.

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Exposure 0.002 sec (1/640)
Aperture f/6.3
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 find snail shells to have a fascinating coiled structure that makes a good picture. Check other snail shell pictures here and here.

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Exposure 0.003 sec (1/400)
Aperture f/7.1
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 love these old fishing boats as they tell a story how the fisheries used to be in Norway. Due to modern fishery politics many of these wooden boats have been demolished because the government wanted a more effective fishing fleet with fewer and bigger boats, but there are a few left and even some that still are partaking in the coastal fisheries. Even the boats that were owned by my family were sunken in the 50ies, which I find really sad. Hopefully we will have more sensible fisheries in the future so we will not destroy the fish stocks and the rest of the environment in our oceans.

Please take a look at my other pictures of boats here.

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Exposure 0.001 sec (1/1600)
Aperture f/2.8
Focal Length 150 mm
ISO Speed 200
Lens: Sigma 150mm F2.8 EX APO DG HSM Macro
Location: Harstad, Troms in Northern Norway

Black trumpet mushrooms (Craterellus cornucopioides) is a very tasty mushroom that can be difficult to find. They are also known as trumpet of death, black chanterelle and horn of plenty. It is said that this mushroom grows where there are oak and hazel, and it matches well since these mushrooms were found near some large oak trees. Because of the color of the mushrooms it can be easy to overlook them on the forest floor. Some mushroom hunters has described the hunt for black trumpet mushrooms a hunt for black holes in the ground. As a specialty mushroom, sold primarily as a dried product, they are mostly imported or harvested wild. The harvesting can be extensive, and sometimes include the removal of the top layer of soil. Either excavator hire or bigger mechanics are implemented. Found under deciduous trees in the Northeast and Midwest, Black Trumpet mushrooms are highly valued and can be used for a variety of purposes including sauces, steak, soups and wild game dishes. If you look for this dark fungus so it is advisable to look straight down instead of around you like you often do when looking for mushrooms such as Golden chanterelle. Once you have found the trumpet mushrooms you may want to take a look near the site where you found them. A tip is to look where there might be streams when there are heavy rain falls. If you follow such streams it should be possible to find large amounts of black trumpet mushrooms.

Black trumpet mushrooms may not be the most beautiful mushrooms in existence, but they are very tasty. They can be cooked fresh and is excellent for drying. Before cooking or drying the mushrooms should be split in half to remove filth that often accumulates in the middle of the mushroom.

Here is a picture of a cluster of black trumpet mushroom:

Note: These photos were taken in the southeastern part of Norway. This image should not be used to identify unknown fungi to see if they are edible or not. Do not eat a mushroom you are uncertain about!
See my other mushroom pictures here.

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital single-lens reflex camera
Location: Fjellstrand in Nesodden, Akershus in southeast of Norway

The angler fish is also known as fishing-frog, frog-fish and sea-devil. This is a predatory fish that live on the seabed along the coast of Norway. There it lives of prey that the fish attracts with a “rod” on its head. Anglerfish live mainly of other fish, but it can even catch diving birds.
The specimen I received in the herring net was not big, but anglerfish can weigh up to 100 kg with a world record at 99.4 kg caught near Bergen in Norway.

Note: This picture was taken with an Apple iPhone 3GS so it is not the best quality.
Please check out my other pictures of fish on this page.

Information about the picture:
Camera: Apple iPhone 3GS
Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/167)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 3.9 mm
ISO Speed: 70
Location: Laupstad (Andørja), Troms in Northern Norway