Sea with jetty and hut, distant mountains, gulls
Coast & seascapes,  Monochrome Madness,  Norway,  Photographic techniques,  Travel galleries

Gallery: seeing the Norwegian landscape in black and white

June 15, 2023 / 34 Comments

Black and white photography is truly quite a ‘departure from reality’, and the transition from one aspect of visual magic to another was not as complete as many imagine.

Ansel Adams

To be honest, much of the Norwegian landscape looked a little unreal to me even in its natural colours. The drama of its mountains, the almost eerie light around midnight, even the snow and rain. All these lent it a magical air.

Some of these sights I have already shared in my Midnight Sun post; others will no doubt appear in future. In this Monochrome Madness gallery I have assembled a selection of landscape shots that I felt worked as well (and in some cases better) in black and white than in colour.

All these shots were taken originally in colour and edited with Silver Efex Pro. They are presented in chronological order, travelling north from Trondheim to Tromsø and then around the latter city.

Steep rocky mountainside with snow

Mountains on Austvagoy Island, Lofoten (taken while on a bus excursion from the Hurtigruten ship)

Upturned small boats on rocky shore

At the Lofoten Museum, Austvagoy Island, Lofoten

Bare tree with snow

At the Lofoten Museum, Austvagoy Island, Lofoten, just after it started to snow (on the last day in May!)

Snowy mountains reflected in the sea

Near the entrance to Trollfjord, taken from the Hurtigruten ship MS Nordlys

Steep snowy mountains surrounding an inlet of the sea

The entrance to Trollfjord; we had hoped to sail into the fjord but the weather was against us

Steep snowy mountains surrounding an inlet of the sea

Passing the entrance to Trollfjord, at three minutes to midnight

Rocky shore and mountains

At Telegrafbukta, Tromsø Island; the name means ‘Telegraph Bay’ and this is where the first line connecting Tromsø to the mainland arrived

Small cove and snowy mountains

Also at Telegrafbukta, Tromsø Island

Rocks, sea, distant mountains with low cloud

Near Tromvik, a small fishing village on Kvaløya Island which is linked to Tromsø Island by a bridge

Beach with sand and seaweed covered rocks, distant mountains with low cloud

The beach at Tromvik, Kvaløya Island; the name means ‘Whale Island’ and it is the fifth largest island in Norway

Looking across the sea to mountains with low cloud and rain

View of rain approaching, taken near Tromvik, Kvaløya Island; my feature photo was also taken at Tromvik

Landscape with water surrounded by mountains and a small islet

A view of Grøtfjord on Kvaløya Island

I visited Norway in May 2023

34 Comments

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