Photographers spend endless hours in pursuit of the soft light of sunrise and sunset. Sleep is often sacrificed in order to capture these warm golden rays as they bathe the landscape with their light. The light from these times of day are so highly sought after that the term ‘The Golden Hour’ has been coined to describe it. Capturing the landscape during the golden hour will typically produce stunning results, but it can be equally effective in creating dramatic wildlife photography.
To the untrained eye this image simply appears to be a small Norwegian fishing village with a dramatic winter backdrop. However, for those that have photographed high above the Arctic Circle in the season of winter, this image represents endless hours of work. It is photographs like this one that you take home as a badge of honor, a testament to your dedication. In this region one often spends hours shooting through the harshest conditions, pursuing momentary glimpses of sunlight that break through the clouds and make absolute magic.
I’ve just completed back-to-back tours in Costa Rica and Norway to kick off what will be a very busy 2022. The sheer number of images I expect to take this season will be staggering. I could easily end the year with over 100,000 photos to sort through. Despite the crazy number of files, there are always some that stand out in your mind at the conclusion of a tour which get edited first. This is one of those images.