Norway Northern Lights

It was a bucket list item for me, a trip to the Lofoten Islands of Norway for a chance to experience the Northern Lights. Not only was I rewarded with amazing displays of the Aurora Borealis, but I also discovered a tiny fishing village on the Norwegian coast that reminded me of the fishing traditions near my home in southern Louisiana.

snow capped mountain reflected in calm pool of water with red painted houses and pier under blue sky in Norway — The small fishing village of Ulvagen in the Lofoten Islands of Norway

fishing traditions

I spent eight days in the village of Ulvagen, Norway. It’s located on the eastern coast of Stormolla, a mountainous island six-miles long and three-miles wide, about 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle in the Lofoten Islands. Family friends Asbjorn Jacobsen and his wife Britt invited me to stay with them at their cabin. This secluded village, accessible only by ferry, is where Asbjorn grew up. His father, grandfathers and great-grandfathers all lived here as fishermen. Instead of fishing, Asbjorn’s career involved working on drilling rigs in the North Sea.

2 men walking along wet gravel road with snow covered mountainin background under blue sky — Walking with my friend Asbjorn Jacobsen in village of Ulvagen, Norway

a familiar collection

Asbjorn took me to a small boathouse located along the bay. Inside, it felt very familiar to me, with a collection of traditional fishing gear. There were old handmade fish nets, a long line of hooks for catching cod, glass floats, fishing lures and oars for a boat. I was reminded of a story I did a year earlier along Bayou Lafourche in the town of Galliano, Louisiana. There, Coonie Lefort showed me his private collection of traditional fishing nets and hardware, old oars, wooden pirogues and fishing spears. It was a connection from a half a world away, of two small fishing communities where people settled and spent their lives fishing to feed their families and earn a living. “These people lived hard lives,” Lefort told me, adding, “they would live off the fat of the land. “It’s the same thing here,” Asbjorn said, “living off the nature.” (see Coonie Lefort’s Cajun Collection)

man wearing dark jacket holds up an old fishing net — Asbjorn Jacobsen shows an old Norwegian fishing net.

man with tan cap and gray jacket points to old wooden fishing oar hanging on wall — Coonie Lefort of Galliano, Louisiana, points to an old wooden oar in his collection.

fishing collections featured on tv

Watch this Heart of Louisiana story on my trip to a fishing village in Norway

the northern lights of norway

The Northern Lights add an amazing nighttime spectacle to the sky above this small fishing village in Norway. The aurora is unpredictable, usually only giving 30 minutes notice of an event through various online apps linked to weather satellites that detect and report solar winds, which can have a colorful reaction in the atmosphere. My first four nights were shrouded in heavy clouds. But my last four nights featured clear, dark star-filled skies with the dancing Northern Lights above the snow-capped mountains and fjords of Norway.

northern lights gallery from norway

northern lights above mountains and water in Norway

green, red, purple white northern light display above home in Norway

green display of northern lights above snow capped mountain in norway

green aurora with streak of white light above mountain and fjord

ferry with lights passing mountains underneath streaking northern lights

red green and white lights of aurora above snowy mountain

green, blue and red aurora above buildings in arctic

brilliant green aurora above snow covered mountain

large van with lights on inside under aurora near mountains

streak of green northern lights above mountains and water

northern lights above snow and mountains in Norway

dancing lights of the aurora borealis

Normally when I am taking pictures of stars in a dark sky I am using very long exposures of up to 30 seconds. However, because the Northern Lights are constantly moving, they require a much shorter exposure of about 2 seconds. That allows the camera to preserve the detail of the curtains of colorful lights as the seem to dance overhead. I took a series of up to 300 still photographs over a 20 minute time period, and then created short timelapse videos to show the movement of the aurora above the landscape of Norway.

a timelapse of the northern lights

Watch this series of timelapse videos of the Amazing Aurora.

beautiful landscapes

The Lofoten Islands of Norway are filled with beautiful landscapes both day and night. In addition to enjoying the Northern Lights, I spent each day touring the Lofoten Islands with my friend Asbjorn as my guide. Here is a collection of some of my photographs from late February through early March, 2024.