Gone to See Norway 2013. Chasing the Northern Lights. Day 9: North then Southbound Hurtigruten Coastal Voyage.
On the seventh and final day of the northbound Hurtigruten coastal voyage, the MS Nordkapp stops in four ports: Båtsfjord (00:30-01:00); Vardø (04:00-04:15); Vadsø (07:30-08:00); and Kirkenes (09:45-12:45). After spending 3 hours in Kirkenes, the ship turns around and begins the southbound voyage stopping at three ports: Vardø (16:00-17:00); Båtsfjord (20:00-20:30); and Berlevåg (22:15-22:30).
Just before midnight there were some faint northern lights. I had to increase the ISO to 6400 to get this image. You can clearly see some red in addition to the green color.
Northern Lights While Sailing North on the Hurtigruten MS Nordkapp. Image taken with a Nikon D800 camera and 24 mm f/1.4G lens (ISO 6400, 24 mm, f/2.8, 4 sec). (David J Mathre)
Gone to See Norway 2013. Chasing the Northern Lights. Day 8: Northbound Hurtigruten Coastal Voyage.
On the sixth day of the northbound Hurtigruten coastal voyage, the MS Nordkapp stops in seven ports: Øksfjord (02:00-02:15); Hammerfest (05:15-06:45); Havøsund (09:30-09:45); Honningsvåg (11:45-15:15); Kjøllefjord (17:30-17:45); Mehamn (19:30-20:00); and Berlevåg (22:30-22:45).
Last night the ship went to the narrow entrance of Trollfjord, and shined some lights to show the narrow passage and high walls. In the summer the Hurtigruten ships go into Trollfjord as part of the northbound voyage. In the winter they only go to the entrance due to avalanche danger. After the ship turned the lights off, I thought that I got an image with a glimmer of green from some low northern lights. The ship staff told me that it was just a reflection on a cloud from one of the fish farms. I went out again early in the morning and got an image that does show some faint northern light activity. Later in the evening, I got some more images showing some northern light activity. Several passengers asked why my camera was able to see the northern lights as bright green where they could barely see anything with their eyes, let alone with point and shoot cameras. The tour director on the ship was not yet making a ship wide announcement that northern lights were visible since he didn’t want folks to go away and say “is that all there is?”. Before beginning this trip I debated not taking a DSLR. Now I am glad that I did. These images were taken at ISO 1600, f/1.4, and 4 seconds. I didn’t have the tripod out with me so I held the camera body against my chest. You can see some camera motion in the stars, but it is not as bad as I thought it would be. For white balance, I used 3500 °K as a starting point since that is what I use when photographing star trails.
Early Morning (04:22 AM) Glimmer of Northern Lights While Sailing North on the Hurtigruten MS Nordkapp. Image taken with a Nikon D800 camera and 24 mm f/1.4G lens (ISO 1600, 24 mm, f/1.4, 4 sec). (David J Mathre)Northern Lights While Sailing North on the Hurtigruten MS Nordkapp. Image taken with a Nikon D800 camera and 24 mm f/1.4G lens (ISO 1600, 24 mm, f/1.4, 4 sec). (David J Mathre)
Gone to See Norway 2013. Chasing the Northern Lights. Day 2: Copenhagen to Bergen.
I arrived in Copenhagen at 07:00, earlier than expected due to the favorable tail winds. It was still dark and raining. I have to get used to the sun rising later as we get further north. There was a long line waiting to go through passport control. It didn’t matter since my connecting flight to Bergen wouldn’t leave until 11:45. I was glad that my luggage was checked all the way to Bergen. I was probably early enough to catch the 08:30 flight to Bergen if it wasn’t for the size of the Copenhagen airport. It is more a shopping center than an airport terminal. I exchanged some currency and then found a quiet area in the airport with free Wi-Fi and comfortable seats to sleep. A bottle of Coke at the airport cost 22.5 DK.
The SAS flight from Copenhagen to Bergen was on a MD-82 jet. The plane was only 1/3 full, so no problem finding space for my camera bag. Heavy rain when we landed in Bergen. Passport control in Bergen was closed, so only needed to pass through customs. It appeared that they were only checking Norwegians for excess duty items. One interesting thing is that you can use coins from a variety of countries for the luggage carts. There is a chart showing the size and value of coins that will work. With my heavy bag, I opted to take a taxi from the airport to my hotel in Bergen (376 NOK). The Thon hotel had a room when I arrived. Unlike earlier visits to Norway, the hotel did not ask to see a passport. Had a late lunch (or early dinner) – cheeseburger, fries, and a beer at the attached Egon restaurant (242 NOK). I can see that Norway is going to be expensive. I slept a few hours then walked the four blocks to the Tourist Information center to buy a one day Bergen Pass. It was still raining hard, and I was cold and soaking wet by the time I got back to the hotel. The weather forecast for the next day in Bergen was partly cloudy and above freezing. After a long day of travel, I fell asleep.
Leaving Copenhagen. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 and 10 mm f/2.8 lens with Olympus FCON-T01 adapter (ISO 20, 7.5 mm, f/3.5, 1/400 sec). (David J. Mathre)GPS Track: Copenhagen to Bergen (462 miles) (David J Mathre)GPS Track: Bergen Airport to Thon Bristol Hotel in Bergen (11 miles) (David J Mathre)
Gone to See Norway 2007 Family Vacation. Day 9: Hurtigruten Coastal Voyage Traveling North Then South.
On the sixth and final day of the northbound Hurtigruten voyage, the MS Kong Harald stopped in four ports: Båtsfjord (00:30-01:00); Vardø (04:00-04:15); Vadsø (07:30-08:00); and Kirkenes (09:45-12:45). After spending 3 hours in Kirkenes, the ship turned around and began the southbound voyage stopping at three ports: Vardø (16:00-17:00); Båtsfjord (20:00-20:30); and Berlevåg (22:15-22:30). All but three from our group disembarked at Kirkenes to return to Florida.
Norway Winter Dawn on the M/S Kong Harald Approaching Kirkenes. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 28-70 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 100, 70 mm, f/2.8, 1/2500 sec). (David J Mathre)Gone to See Norway Mathre Family Tour 2007 (David J. Mathre)Gone to See Norway Mathre Family Tour 2007 (David J. Mathre)Gone to See Norway Mathre Family Tour 2007 (David J. Mathre)
Gone to See Norway 2007 Family Vacation. Day 7: Hurtigruten Coastal Voyage Traveling North.
On the fourth day of the northbound Hurtigruten voyage, the ship stops in seven ports: Stokmarkenes (00:45-01:00); Sortland (02:30-03:00); Risøyhamm (04:15-04:30); Harstad (06:45-08:00); Finnsnes (11:15-11:45); Tromsø (14:30-18:30); and Skjervøy (22:30-22:45). As we move farther north, the amount of time that the sun is up keeps decreasing. It was almost 11 AM when I took the first image in this post. By the time we arrived Tromsø later in the afternoon it was already dark. In Tromsø several from our group went dog sledding. After the ride we had coffee in a Sami tent (lavvu). At the end of the day back on the ship I got to play King Neptune for the “Crossing the Arctic Circle” ceremony. The Captain of the Ship and King Neptune baptized those that had crossed the Arctic circle for the first time with ice water.
After a Long Winter, the Sun is About to Rise. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 28-70 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 200, 28 mm, f/10, 1/400 sec) (David J. Mathre)Lars on the MS Kong Harald. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 85 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 85 mm, f/1.4, 1/20 sec). (David J Mathre)Mary Cleaning her camera on the MS Kong Harald. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 85 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 85 mm, f/1.4, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)Freighter Loading and Gisund Bridge (Gisundbrua) in Finnsnes Norway. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 80 mm, f/4.5, 1/40 sec) (David J Mathre)The Cargo Ship NARDJARL Listing While Unloading Containers in Finnsnes Norway. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 80 mm, f/4.5, 1/25 sec) (David J Mathre)Winter View of Finnsnes Norway from the MS Kong Harald. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 35 mm f/2 lens (ISO 200, 35 mm, f/2, 1/60 sec) (David J Mathre)Winter View of the Finnsnes Lighthouse. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 85 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 85 mm, f/1.4, 1/400 sec). (David J Mathre)Dogs Being Prepared for a Dog Sled Ride Outside Tromsø. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 50 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 1000, 50 mm, f/1.4, 1/8 sec). (David J Mathre)Dog Sledding Outside Tromsø. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 50 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 800, 50 mm, f/1.4, 1/6 sec). (David J Mathre)Christopher warming up after the Dog Sled Ride Outside of Tromsø. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 85 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 85 mm, f/1.4, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)Coffee Warming by a Wood Fire after the Dog Sled Trip Tromsø. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 85 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 85 mm, f/1.4, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)Mary after the Dog Sled Ride in Tromsø. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 85 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 85 mm, f/4.8, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)Kai and Christopher warming up after the Dog Sled Ride Outside of Tromsø. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 85 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 85 mm, f/1.4, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)Mary after the Dog Sled Ride in Tromsø. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 85 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 85 mm, f/4.8, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)CANIS Stretching Before Taking us on Dog Sled Ride in Tromsø. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 85 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 85 mm, f/4.8, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)Brave Staying Warm. He was Not Included in the Dog Sled Ride. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 85 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 85 mm, f/4.8, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)Dan After the Dog Sled Ride in Tromsø. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 85 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 85 mm, f/4.8, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)King Neptune at the Crossing the Arctic Circle Ceremony. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 12-24 mm f/4 lens (ISO 200, 24 mm, f/6.3, 1/200 sec). (David J Mathre)King Neptune and the Ship Captain Performing a Baptism at the Crossing the Arctic Circle Ceremony. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 12-24 mm f/4 lens (ISO 200, 24 mm, f/6.3, 1/200 sec). (David J Mathre)
As I mentioned at the beginning of this series of posts, I am getting ready to revisit Norway. At the time of the 2007 trip I only had a DSLR for about 6 months. There were many things about it I didn’t know – I was very early in the learning curve. By reviewing and analyzing the old images, I learn from my mistakes. When I look at the images that I took during that trip I cringe knowing that I could have done a better job – composition, exposure, focus, etc. I typically include camera settings with the description to help when I analyze the images. Since then cameras have improved significantly. Likewise, the software used to process the images has improved. The new software lets me fix or improve the older images, and in some cases I have reprocessed the images. One of my goals for this upcoming trip is to take fewer, but better images. Comments and criticisms about these images are welcomed.
