Lofoten Northern Lights &

Polar Night Photography Workshop

January 6 – 12, 2027 (7 Days / 6 Nights)

Northern lights, polar nights, and magical coastal landscapes.

Join an intensive winter workshop in Lofoten built around northern light and night photography. We plan our days to be ready when the aurora appears, and we use the limited daylight hours to photograph dramatic peaks, fishing villages, beaches, and blue-hour scenes.

Throughout the week you’ll get personal, hands-on guidance in the field. We work in small groups and spend time where the conditions are best, helping you with composition, technique, and decision-making on location. When the sky opens up at night, we guide you step-by-step so you can come home with strong Northern Lights images that include the landscape, not just the colors in the sky.

Quick facts

  • Dates: January 6–12, 2027 (7 days / 6 nights)

  • Base: Scandic Hotel Leknes

  • Arrival & departure: Leknes Airport (LKN)

  • Instructors: Bjørn Joachimsen & Terje Svendsen

  • Group size: Max 12 (max 6 per instructor)

  • Transport: Workshop transport in vans with spiked tires (licensed drivers)

  • Included meals: Breakfast at the hotel (lunch + dinner not included)

  • Focus: Northern Lights and polar night photography, plus winter landscapes, coastal scenes, and blue hour

  • Level: Beginner to advanced (coaching adapted to you)

What to expect

  • On-location coaching: We work the scene with you, not just point you to a spot

  • Northern Lights focus: Hands-on night coaching, from setup to final frames when conditions are right

  • Polar night rhythm: We use the best daylight window for landscapes, then shift into blue hour and night sessions

  • Local expertise: Instructors with detailed knowledge and long experience from Lofoten

  • Time on location: We build the program to allow sufficient time at each stop, no rushed photo drive-bys

  • Small-group learning: Time for questions, feedback, and personal guidance

  • Flexible planning: Aurora, weather, and cloud cover decide the final schedule

  • Optional edit/review sessions: Lightroom Classic sessions and image feedback during the week

A typical day rhythm

Every day is built around the best light and safest conditions. The exact timing changes, but the rhythm usually looks like this:

  • Breakfast at the hotel

  • Morning field session (coastal scenes, villages, or fjords depending on weather)

  • Midday break (warm-up, travel, scouting, optional review)

  • Afternoon and blue-hour session

  • Group dinner for everyone (we’ll organize it)

  • Evening: night photography and Northern Lights if conditions are right

  • Optional short image review and Lightroom tips on selected evenings

Day-to-day program

Draft itinerary. Exact locations and order may change based on weather, road conditions, and forecasts.This is a Northern Lights workshop, so the evening plan is flexible. If the aurora forecast is strong and the sky is clear, we prioritize night sessions. If weather is poor, we use the time for image reviews and post-processing (Lightroom and Photoshop) so you still progress every day

Day 1 (January 6):

Arrival in Leknes + welcome briefing

Settle in and get ready for the week.

  • Pick-up at Leknes Airport (LKN) and transfer to Scandic Hotel Leknes

  • Check-in, meet the group, and a practical briefing (plan, safety, gear check)

  • Evening: night photography and Northern Lights if conditions are right

Day 2 (January 7):

Utakleiv coast + Northern Lights foundations

Clean winter compositions by day, aurora technique by night.

  • Coastal photography session at Utakleiv (winter surf, snow patterns, clean compositions)

  • Midday flexibility: warm-up break or optional image review

  • Northern Lights essentials (focus, exposure, settings, composition, troubleshooting)

  • Evening: night photography and Northern Lights if conditions are right, with hands-on 1:1 guidance in the field

Day 3 (January 8):

Unstad and the wild coast + Lightroom workflow

Coastal winter drama, then a simple workflow to finish your night and polar files.

  • Locations around the outer coast, typically including Unstad (conditions dependent)

  • Coaching focus: working the scene, finding variety, simplifying busy frames

  • Optional Lightroom Classic session: culling, structure, winter color balance, finishing

  • Evening: night photography and Northern Lights if conditions are right

Day 4 (January 9):

West Lofoten classics — Hamnøy, Sakrisøy, Reine

Classic Lofoten, photographed with intention, and ready for an aurora window if it appears.

  • Full location loop through classic viewpoints:

    • Hamnøy Bridge

    • Sakrisøy (harbour details + yellow cabin area)

    • Reine viewpoint (or nearby alternatives depending on conditions)

  • Coaching focus: composition refinement, depth, and stronger foreground choices

  • Optional evening image discussion

  • Evening: night photography and Northern Lights if conditions are right

Day 5 (January 10):

Flakstad area — beaches, rivers, and fjord reflections

Strong lines and calmer scenes, perfect for polar light and minimal winter frames.

  • Sessions in the Flakstad area (beaches + river lines + sheltered fjord scenes)

  • Optional afternoon Lightroom mini-session (for those who want feedback)

  • Evening: night photography and Northern Lights if conditions are right

Day 6 (January 11):

East Lofoten — Henningsvær + group review

Storytelling in the villages, then refine your strongest Northern Lights and polar night images.

  • Day trip to the fishing village Henningsvær, located on several small islands off the southern coast of Austvågøya

  • Coaching focus: refining compositions and building a cohesive set of images

  • Evening: optional group review + editing tips

  • Evening: night photography and Northern Lights if conditions are right

Day 7 (January 12):

Wrap-up + departures

Final pointers and airport transfers.

  • Short wrap-up: key takeaways + next steps for editing/printing

  • Transfer to Leknes Airport (LKN) for departures

Ambitions & Goals

This workshop is about your growth and your images. Many photo tours focus on being at the right location at the right time, but the instruction can feel limited once you arrive. Our approach is different. We stay close, coach actively, and help you build a repeatable process for both polar night landscapes and Northern Lights photography.

That can mean:

  • Helping you build stronger compositions on location (foreground, depth, balance, clean edges)

  • Coaching you through winter conditions like wind, snow, sea spray, and fast-changing light

  • Showing you how to work a scene and find variety, not just take one frame and move on

  • Troubleshooting camera settings fast so you stay focused on creative decisions

  • Giving hands-on, individual guidance for Northern Lights photography when conditions are right (focus, exposure, composition)

  • Supporting your editing workflow with practical Lightroom Classic tips so you can finish your images with confidence

Our ambition is simple: give you the best possible winter photography week in Lofoten, with great locations, calm guidance, and a plan that adapts to the Arctic.

Goals for the week:

  • Build stronger compositions (foreground, depth, balance, clean edges)

  • Become confident shooting in snow, wind, and fast-changing light

  • Learn a reliable winter workflow in Lightroom Classic (color balance, contrast, detail, mood)

  • Be ready for Northern Lights when the sky opens up (focus, exposure, composition, troubleshooting)

  • Leave with a tight mini-portfolio from Lofoten, not just a memory card full of “almost”

Lofoten Northern Lights & Polar Night Photography Workshop

January 6– 12, 2027

Tickets: $ 3,500 per person

Start: January 6: at 3:00 PM

End: January 12: at 12:00 AM

  • Seven days and six nights of on-location photography training in Lofoten, Northern Norway

  • Transport throughout the workshop in comfortable vans with spiked tires, giving easy access to our shooting locations

  • Two instructors working closely with the group each day, with hands-on and individual guidance in the field

  • Maximum 12 participants (max 6 per instructor) for a personal, hands-on experience

  • A location mix of iconic Lofoten scenery and quieter spots, including beaches, fjords, fishing villages, and dramatic mountain coastlines

  • A structured daily rhythm built around polar light, blue hour, and flexible night sessions when conditions allow

  • Night photography and Northern Lights outings when conditions are right — with 1:1 guidance to help everyone get the photos they want

  • Access to a private WhatsApp group well in advance for travel tips, gear advice, and sharing work and questions leading up to the trip

Payment plan:

  • $500 deposit is paid at registration

  • The remaining balance will be invoiced about two months before the workshop begins.

Accommodation:

  • Base: Scandic Hotel Leknes (6 nights included)

  • Breakfast is included every day

  • Lunch and dinner are not included

  • We organize group dinners for everyone each evening (pay individually)

We reserve rooms in advance to keep the group together and ensure availability during the winter season. Early reservation is recommended, as the workshop tends to fill up very fast.

A smiling man with glasses, medium-length brown hair, and a light beard, wearing a striped shirt and a light-colored jacket, in front of a plain background.

Meet the Instructors

A young man wearing sunglasses and a black New York Yankees cap is sitting in a convertible car parked near the coast, with a view of the ocean and a wooden fence in the background.

What former participants are saying

  • THE INSTRUCTORS WERE FULLY PRESENT THROUGHOUT THE WORKSHOP AND GENEROUS WITH THEIR TIME.

    — Former Lofoten participant

  • THE WORKSHOP CHANGED HOW I APPROACH NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY, ESPECIALLY IN WINTER LIGHT.

    — Former Lofoten participant

  • CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK, DELIVERED POSITIVELY. THEY SUGGESTED BETTER ANGLES AND SIMPLE IMPROVEMENTS.

    — Former Lofoten participant

 FAQs

Lofoten Northern Lights & Polar Night Photography Workshop

Lofoten Northern Lights & Polar Night Photography Workshop

Lofoten Northern Lights & Polar Night Photography Workshop

January 6 – 12, 2027 (7 Days / 6 Nights)

Tickets: $ 3,500 per person

More workshops

If Lofoten are on your list, you might also like these upcoming workshops: