5 Days, 4 Nights

Norwegian Fjords Photo Tour

Explore the stunning fjords of West Norway with a local photographer who has lived here for several years. You’ll stay in remote cozy cabins, hang in tiny traditional villages, catch the best light (and views) from mountain vistas, and capture the deep blue waters of Norway in the late summer sun. This is a photo adventure you’ll never forget.

  • Places

    • Lovatnet
    • Dalsnibba
    • Trollstigen
    • Geiranger Fjord
  • Guides

  • Activity Level

    • Level 2: Active
  • Skill Level

    • Level 2: Good
Moment Travel
Norwegian Fjords Photo Tour
$0 USD
       

What we'll do

This is a photo adventure in every sense of the word. Joel has been living in and exploring Norway by camera for the last 7 years...day hikes, remote cabins, small villages, and epic views. He’s going to show you all of these places and teach you how to capture them.

This tour is for adventurous spirits who want to get the most out of every day. You’ll be up early to get that creamy golden light and crash hard at night after a long day of hiking. You’ll be surrounded by mountains and crisp fresh air. You’ll be editing omg shots of waterfalls, fjords, cliffs, glaciers, and everything in between. You’ll be visiting spots that tourists miss, traveling where Joel takes his photographer friends.

Along the way you’ll learn how to capture the outdoors and the magnitude of the West Fjords. You’ll pick up practical techniques in using natural light, perspective, and scale. You’ll learn how to scout photography locations and handle the variety of light you’ll see in a single day. In the end you’ll leave with some of the best photos of your life and a newfound appreciation of how to tell stories with your photos.

Joel only runs this tour once a year. You don’t want to miss it.

Your Guides

    Tour Preview

    Itinerary

    Itinerary

    Day 0: Half Day Camera Workshop

    • Summary:

      OPTIONAL ADD ON: Add a half day camera workshop to your trip. You get an extra day (and night) in Oslo. Your guide will go deep with you on what camera you have, how all the settings work, and then spend half day shooting with you in the Oslo city centre as you learn how to shoot in manual. You’ll learn the fundamentals in settings, ISO, shutter speed, framing, and exposure...and then go outside and shoot Norwegian vibes practicing what you just learned. Whether shooting on your phone or a DSLR camera you’ll walk away with the confidence and knowledge to make the most out of the week. Price: $400 (includes two meals, a hotel, and workshop).

    • Photo Spots:

      Oslo city centre

    • Food:

      Dinner at a local hotspot

    • Lodging:

      Standard: Hotel/Airbnb in Oslo

    Day 1: Scenic Drives, Panoramic Views, and a Bonfire in the Mountains

    • Summary:

      After meeting at the Oslo Airport and grabbing a final coffee and a snack, we’ll kick off our trip by heading to Lovatnet via Road 55, one of the most scenic routes in Norway. We’ll drive past Norway’s tallest mountain (Galdhøpiggen), and cut through Jostedalsbreen Glacier with its majestic alpine lakes, valleys, and lookout points. After plenty of stops along the way for photos, as well as a delicious lunch at the famous Bakeriet i Lom, we’ll arrive at our final destination: Mount Hoven. We’ll take the Loen Skylift straight to the top for an insane 360 degree view over the surrounding fjords and mountain peaks. After shooting in the late afternoon light; we’ll head down the mountain for a bonfire and BBQ on the shores of the glacial Lake Lovatnet.

    • Photo Spots:

      Road 55, Mount Hoven, Lake Lovatnet

    • Food:

      Lunch at the famous Bakeriet i Lom, BBQ by our cabins for dinner

    • Lodging:

      Basic: Cabins at Sande Camping

    Day 2: Glacial Lakes and Alpine Views from a Canoe

    • Summary:

      Nothing is better than pushing a canoe into the still waters of a glacial lake before sunrise. Wake up will be quite early today to capture the morning light over Lovatnet, canoeing past ice-covered peaks, gushing waterfalls, and traditional Norwegian grass-roof cabins. You’ll use your unique vantage point from the canoe to practice different compositions and how to combine them to make a story. If you’re feeling adventurous, leave your gear in the canoe and dive right into the frigid waters. It’s likely to take your breath away, but it’s an experience you won’t soon forget. Head back to the cabins to dry of or change clothes before leaving to explore the turquoise river that flows straight down from Jostedalsbreen Glacier. This afternoon, we’ll have plenty of time for our first editing session, and we’ll cover some of the basics of process and workflow so you can implement what you’ve learned throughout the week. We’ll either make our own dinner or hit up a local restaurant before taking advantage of the long summer days to shoot a bit more.

    • Photo Spots:

      Lake Lovatnet and the surrounding waterfalls, traditional cabins, and snow covered peaks

    • Food:

      Breakfast at the cabin, lunch at a local restaurant, making our own dinner

    • Lodging:

      Basic: Cabins at Sande Camping

    Day 3: Winding Mountain Passes and Untamed Waterfalls

    • Summary:

      After breakfast at the cabins, we’ll make our way up the Gamle Strynefjellsvegen, a staggeringly beautiful stretch of road open only during the warmest summer months due to its high elevation and cold climate. This National Scenic Route offers continuous mountain views and is perfect for flying drones and capturing the rugged beauty of the Western Fjords without having to hike long distances, so we’ll take our time driving through here. Then, we’ll continue on to Dalsnibba, one of the highest points in mainland Norway accessible by car. Fingers crossed for a clear day, so we’ll be able to see the wild waterfalls and lush green vegetation of Geirangerfjord, one of Norway’s most famous, UNESCO-protected fjords. We’ll end our day at Geiranger, a small village on the banks of Geirangerfjord, where we’ll settle in for a relaxing evening of food, friends, and some more editing, if you want.

    • Photo Spots:

      Gamle Strynefjellsvegen, Dalsnibba

    • Food:

      Breakfast at the cabin, picnic lunch, dinner at a local restaurant

    • Lodging:

      Basic: Cabins in Geiranger

    Day 4: Lush Green Fjords and the Iconic Trollstigen

    • Summary:

      We’ll make it another early morning to catch the sunrise over Geirangerfjord. This entire area is an iconic Norwegian postcard view with picture-perfect fjord scenery, rugged mountain walls, and massive waterfalls; so we’ll cover the area from several different angles and lookout points, finding creative ways to utilize the scenery and capture captivating landscape images different than the typical postcard. After lunch, we’ll cruise through the mountain passes on a ferry over Norddalsfjorden, making stops to capture the scenery along the way. Back on land, we begin our drive up Trollstigen, known as the most iconic road in Norway for good reason. A notorious lookout, wild turquoise mountain river, plenty of traditional Nordic cabins, and the picturesque view over the Valldal valley make this a spot to remember. This location is ideal for landscape photography, but also offers an incredible playground for architectural photography thanks to the modern buildings perfectly embedded into the scenery.

    • Photo Spots:

      Geiranger Fjord, Trollstigen

    • Food:

      Breakfast at the cabin, picnic lunch, dinner at a local restaurant

    • Lodging:

      Basic: Cabins or Airbnb in Åndalsnes

    Day 5: Hike up Litlefjellet Ridge and Final Farewells

    • Summary:

      Our last day in Norway begins with a short drive and a sunrise mission to the summit of Litlefjellet, an incredible ridgeline offering diverse panoramic backdrops. During the summer season, it also offers mountain ponds that create an opportunity to play with reflections in a natural environment. This hike is not challenging, and will only take 20 minutes from the trailhead to our shoot location. After taking in the scenery one last time, we’ll head back to Oslo, stopping for lunch and a few last minute photos along the way. Once we reach the airport this evening, you can head home or continue your adventure.

    • Photo Spots:

      Litlefjellet

    • Food:

      Breakfast at the cabins, lunch on our way back to Oslo

    Where we're going

    Lovatnet Lake: Joel’s personal favorite location in Norway, Lovatnet Lake and the surrounding area offers a variety of sights just waiting to be photographed: waterfalls, traditional Norwegian grass-roof cabins, ice-covered peaks, and a stunning turquoise glacial lake right by our doorstep.

    Geirangerfjord: This area offers all the iconic Norwegian postcard views with picture-perfect fjord scenery, lush green vegetation, rugged mountain walls, and massive waterfalls. The perfect place to spend time shooting popular places from a different perspective, you’re bound to leave with some OMG shots.

    Trollstigen: The most iconic road in Norway. With a notorious lookout, a turquoise mountain river, plenty of traditional Nordic cabins, and a picturesque view over the Valldal Valley. This location is ideal for landscape photography, but also offers an incredible playground for architectural photography thanks to the modern buildings perfectly embedded into the scenery.

    Litlefjellet: This incredible ridgeline is unique due to its surrounding mountain formations, easy access, and its diverse panoramic backdrops. During summer, it also offers mountain ponds that create an opportunity to play with reflections in a natural environment. One of our early morning stops, this will be the best place to capture those perfect glowy landscapes.

    Norway

    What You Will Learn

    Joel has been shooting professionally for the last decade, often for brands like Seager, FjallRaven, and Taylor Stitch. He’s also led small groups of photography friends through Norway, showing them how to capture the rich colors of Norway, the large landscapes, and the remote villages. Inspired by the American West, his photography style is natural, timeless, and photojournalistic (i.e. capturing adventure as it happens).

    • Camera Settings: It always starts with the basics. Whether shooting on your phone, DSLR, or film you’ll learn how to use manual settings and various lenses to capture that yummy Norway light.
    • Pre-Planning your Shot: Lots of practical techniques for reading weather, mountains, and changing light. The weather can change quickly which impacts the types of shots you can capture. You’ll also learn about angles and landscapes, how to make the same location look different from a fresh angle.
    • Composition and Light: Excellent composition and light are the magic ingredients to taking the perfect photo. You’ll learn how to use natural light in all its variations and work on our composition with different scenic components. The Western fjords are among some of the wettest regions in the world, so we might hit some crazy weather, even in the middle of the summer.
    • Portraits and Outdoor Lifestyle Photos: You’ll learn how to shoot new friends with the mountains as our backdrops. You’ll learn scale and how to capture natural photos that don’t feel staged.
    • Nature’s Details: Since we’ll be surrounded by mountains, fjords, and water, we’ll learn how to leverage natural elements in our shots: reflections from super still water, rocks and flowers in the foreground to add scale, and the complementary colors of blue fjords, lush green areas, and the soft golden light of a late evening shoot.
    • Stitching Photos into Stories: Adventure leads your camera to creating short stories. This is Joe’s super power and he’s going to show you how to select and edit a set of photos that create a short story of your adventure. Not only will you leave with killer photos, but you’ll have a set that is cohesive in style and vibe.
    • Editing, Editing, Editing: Joel will teach you his edit flow and to create a natural style with your edits. In both mobile and Lightroom editing you’ll learn how to balance colors, lights, and contrast to take your photos to the next level.

    What's Included

    • HotelCreated with Sketch.

      4 nights in cabins/Airbnbs (price per person, based on double occupancy)

    • Ticket-Entrancefee-ActivityCreated with Sketch.

      Entrance to all activities

    • TransportationCreated with Sketch.

      Transportation to/from airport

    • TransportationCreated with Sketch.

      Transportation around Norway

    • Photography teacherCreated with Sketch.

      Photography and editing lessons

    • DiscountsCreated with Sketch.

      Discount on gear from the Moment shop

    • CampingCreated with Sketch.

      3 great meals per day

    What's Not Included

    • Airfare
    • Alcoholic beverages
    • Guide gratuities
    • Insurance of any kind, including travel insurance
    • Visas or Visa processing fees