Arctic Colors

A photography workshop in the Lofoten Islands

March 5th - 12th, 2027
Ten places. From $5500 per person

Lofoten in winter gives you the whole spectrum inside a single week. Blue hour, sunrise, sunset, golden hour, and if the sky opens, the aurora. It also gives you blizzards, rain, hail, and everything in between.

We called this workshop Arctic Colors because that is what you get, on the days it works and the days it doesn't. Some of you are coming to see the northern lights for the first time. I cannot promise them. What I can do is put you in the right place when they show up, and make the other nights worth photographing too.

Over seven days we work the islands from Å to Svolvær, moving between two bases so we are never far from the light when it turns. Some mornings we leave before it is light and come back for breakfast. Some evenings we eat early and stay out past midnight. In between there is time to sit down with your images while the conditions are still fresh in your head. You will be tired by the end of the week. That is the point.

What Sets Our Workshops Apart

01 / We don't visit the Arctic. We live in it.

Tor-Ivar has spent his life at 69°N and photographs this coastline through every season it has. He also works in aviation, where reading weather is part of the job, so the daily plan is built on the same data used to move aircraft rather than on a phone app. That matters more than it sounds. Conditions here change hour by hour, and the difference between a wasted evening and the best shot of the trip is usually knowing which fjord clears first when the front comes in from the west, which beach works on a falling tide, and when to abandon a location and drive twenty minutes to something better. You get a guide who has already made those calls a thousand times, in the dark, in winter, at home.

02 / Two Photographers. Ten Participants

Most workshops give you one instructor and a bus. You get two working professionals with different eyes on the same landscape, and a five to one ratio that means neither of them is ever more than a few steps away when the light turns. Tor-Ivar reads the place and the weather. Sapna reads the frame and the file. Both shoot Sony, so questions about settings, lenses and workflow get answered directly rather than translated across systems. If you have ever come home from a trip with good conditions and mediocre files, this is the part that fixes it.

03 / Word-Class Instruction, not just world-class locations.

Sapna Reddy is an internationally recognised landscape photographer based in California, with work published and recognised by National Geographic, Lonely Planet, Sony and Adobe. She develops learning modules for Adobe's Lightroom Academy and has taught workshops across national parks and beyond. Teaching is not a sideline for her, it is the thing she cares most about. She will be there in the field, and she will be there afterwards when you sit down with your images and decide what they should become.

Book your workshop here!

Accommodation is included for all seven nights and is based on shared occupancy. Two participants share a bedroom, matched by gender, unless you are travelling as a couple and prefer to share. You will be asked about your preference when you book, and we will confirm your room arrangement before the workshop begins.

If you would rather have a bedroom to yourself, the single supplement is available. Places are limited by the accommodation available at both locations, so book early if this matters to you.

Single Room

$1,000.00

Single room occupancy is rare to come by during peak season in Lofoten, so book this along with paying the deposit.

Deposit

$1,500.00

Reserve your spot for the Arctic Colors 2027 photography workshop.
Deposit $1500 due at time of registration.
Full amount due 90 days prior to start of workshop.

REFUND POLICY

If canceled by participant 90 days before start of workshop credit can be applied to future workshops. Please note a cancellation fee of $100 will be applied to all cancellations by client without exception.
If canceled within 90 days of start of workshop no refund will be issued.

Final Payment

$4,000.00

Full amount due 90 days prior to start of workshop. In this case Dec 5th 2026.

REFUND POLICY

10
Spots

Getting there
The group departs Evenes Airport (EVE) at 12:00 on Friday 5 March and returns to the airport on the morning of Friday 12 March. Please book your flights accordingly. We recommend flying OSL to EVE direct with SAS or Norwegian. We are happy to advise on suitable connections before you book.
Day 1. Arrival and the drive west
We meet at Evenes and drive the E10 into Lofoten. The road crosses from the mainland into the islands and the landscape changes completely along the way. We will not be stopping to photograph on this drive. Daylight is short in March and the first night matters, so we keep moving and get you settled while there is still light at Reine. Keep a phone handy for the view. There is a comfort stop along the way, and we pause in Svolvær, the largest town in the islands, for a bite to eat and a first taste of the place. We arrive at Reine Rorbuer in the evening and settle into the cabins. If the sky is clear, we are out shooting the aurora in Moskenes the same night.
Day 2. Moskenes
A full day in the Moskenes region, working around Hamnøy, Sakrisøy and Reine. If you have seen a photograph of Lofoten, there is a good chance it was taken here. These three small islands account for most of the postcards, and for good reason. We work through the changing light from morning to blue hour, and if conditions allow, we stay out for the aurora.
Days 3 to 6. Central Lofoten
We move north and base ourselves at Solsiden Brygge in Ballstad for the rest of the week. From here we are within reach of Haukland, Uttakleiv, Henningsvær etc These four days are built around the weather rather than a fixed schedule. We decide each morning where the conditions are best and go there. Between shoots there is time to review and process images with both instructors.
Day 7. Last light and return
A final morning in the islands, then east along the E10 with a sunset shoot on the way. We spend the last night at Sure Hotel near Evenes, close to the airport.
Day 8. Departure
Breakfast and departures from Evenes.
- Accommodation during the workshop.
- All transport during the workshop in authorised vehicles with certified drivers.
- Breakfast the two first mornings (at Reine Rorbuer).
- Personal instruction for composition in the field
- Sea Eagle Safari
- Post Processing sessions
- Advanced field techniques for image capture.
- Image Critiques.
- Travel insurance highly recommended.
- Meals are not included, but we stop for lunch, coffee and dinner along the way, and there will be plenty of opportunities to pick up souvenirs and anything else you might need. This keeps things flexible and lets everyone eat what they actually want.
- Winter clothing and footwear.
- We do have photography gear for rent.
Distill The Scene
How to distill the scene before you to create an evocative image.
Composition
Find compelling compositions that convey a strong visual story.
Nuances of light
Observing the nuances of light and finding the best light for the scene.
Techniques
Focus stacking, focal length blend, and perspective blend. Focusing at night.
Mastering the technical details of image capture including bracketing and exposure blend.
Choice of focal length and creative ways to use lens distortion.
Using filters.
Planning
Planning your shoot. Learn to predict weather using apps.
Editing techniques
Learn how to blend multiple exposures as well as images in photoshop.
Tonal control using luminosity masking.
Specific steps that can be taken in post processing to strengthen the visual pathway through your image.
Northern Lights Master Class
Learn everything you need to know about chasing the northern lights like a professional photographer.