If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes.

The weather forecast called for five days of rain. Not exactly the dream forecast for photographers heading north. But we traveled with the attitude that “anything is better than five days of rain,” and what we got was so much better! All seasons in five days – but with plenty of rest and sun through dramatic clouds that photographers can only dream of.

After checking into the charming hostel Furu, where every detail is handmade and the lounge is made up of old vintage furniture, we headed to a hidden treasure. The artist Pøbel has painted several murals around Lofoten. He didn’t tell anyone where, you just had to stumble upon them. “Butterfly” is one of the paintings, and covers the entire facade of an abandoned and very tired house on Grimsøy.

Even though the weather has done its best to demolish the house, it still stands and it is possible to go inside and take pictures. Not least, you can get cool pictures of the house in front of the mountain.

Road trip!

We spent a day "touring" some of Lofoten's most famous photo spots. Rambergstranda, the quaint fishing village of Nusfjord (recommend the cinnamon buns here!), Hamnøy, Sakrisøy and Reine. Full memory card, empty battery and pizza on the way home is a good recipe for a group of photographers.

Surf's up

The waves were raging the week we were in Lofoten. The instructors at Lofoten Surfsenter found a small window where we could get a surf lesson, and early in the morning we squeezed into the surf shop which is full of boards, posters and surf stuff – and a down-to-earth surf vibe. We have been surfing with this group for many years, and it is always nice to be back.

Unstad has gradually gained a reputation as an iconic surfing beach. Arctic surfing originated here, and it's a wild feeling to put on a wetsuit in the middle of winter to wade out into the waves with a board under your arm. Many had a tough first encounter with the waves, which broke hard against the beach. It was a struggle just to get out, but the feeling of accomplishment was all the greater when we did it. We got beaten up – but it was insanely fun.

Whale skeleton

At Hov you can see the remains of a whale skeleton outside by the lighthouse. On the way we visited the Pøbel house in daylight, before we took the walk out onto the long pier. The whale skeleton measures over three meters and comes from the head of a 20-meter-long dead whale that washed ashore many years ago. Cool motif, and cool to see.

Then we checked into apartments at Skårungen outside Kabelvåg, with the sea and sharp mountains right outside the window.

safari

The most exciting experience for many was the RIB trip to Trollfjorden with a sea eagle safari. The boat trip alone was wild in itself – big waves and wind made the trip a roller coaster. However, it was the eagles that made the biggest impression, both in size and number. There were eagles everywhere, so many that it was difficult to choose where to point the camera. A really cool experience, and we got some fantastic photos!

Sunset

The last stop on the trip was Henningsvær, with its fishing boats, piers and world-famous football pitch surrounded by sea and mountains. We wandered around smelling the stockfish, found a ball and tested the pitch, and had a great sunset.

The last evening was spent in Skårungens Spa with a sauna and hot tub under the open sky, surrounded by mountains and sea. Some tested the temperature of the sea, but based on the screams it sounded cold.