Norway autumn trip

On the way to Rondane, the autumn colors began. The first photo was taken along the roadside, at the foot of Rondane.

Further along the way, I turned onto a toll road, driving up to Dørålen. This road took me to about 1000 meters above sea level, surrounded by mountains and beautiful birch trees. The birch trees were just past their peak yellow color, some slightly orange, and some almost without any leaves left. Ironically, the best photo from that evening was of a barren birch tree, with just a few leaves at the top of the branches.

With the beautiful view of the mountains, I had planned to shoot a small lake at sunrise. I was not the only one with that idea, as there were multiple photographers at that lake that morning. It was cold and very calm, creating a beautiful reflection of the mountain. As the sun rose, it set the mountain birches on fire in terms of color.

I returned to where I had spent the evening before shooting and wandered around the birch forest in the sunny weather. After a while, I found a small birch with a very nice shape. I spent some time getting my composition right, balancing the tree and the mountains in the background.

After spending the morning in the birch forest, I decided to explore the nearby area. Since the light was harsh, scouting for new photo locations was optimal. I decided to go to Dørålseter, however, the road was closed for the last 5km. Luckily, I had brought my bike along on Yeti, so I could access it more easily. The following photo was captured along the road, looking in the direction of Dørålseter. I think the small plateaus look fantastic, a very unusual shape to witness in nature, especially how sharp the ridgelines are.

Arriving at Dørålseter, the landscapes opened up more. The distant mountains had become larger, while the plateaus continued throughout the valley. The clouds had rolled in over the mountains, yet some light was able to make it through, creating this high-contrast scene of the birches in backlight, yet the sky filled with clouds.

I finally got back to Yeti at around 15, needing a rest after photographing nonstop since 6 a.m. The sky was still filled with heavy clouds, but suddenly the sky opened up just enough for some light to hit a valley. The valley had caught my attention earlier, and this was a great opportunity.

There was no particularly good light for sunset; however, once the darkness came, the sky cleared, and the Milky Way appeared. September and October are the best months for seeing the Milky Way. The national park has very low light pollution, making it possible to see it clearly with the naked eye. I had not tried photographing the Milky Way before; it was a fun challenge, and I am very happy with the results.

The night was rough, with very heavy winds shaking my car uninterrupted. The following morning, I biked out to Dørålseter again, hoping that the early morning light would hit the mountains. I was not disappointed, as the pink light showed itself on the mountain Nørdre Smedhamran.

I decided to hike along the upper northern plateau of the valley, giving me great views of the valley and the mountains. There was no trail there, but the flatness of the plateau made most of the walking effortless. The sky was a lot clearer that day, giving me constant good light on the mountain birches.

I tried to turn around for almost 2 hours, but I kept wondering what was going to show itself once I reached the next plateau. Finally, I started to make my way down toward the river Dørålen, and there I made it up onto a plateau just next to it, rewarding me with a great view of the river, the distant mountains, and a plateau just opposite the river.

My last stop before going home was Jotunheimen National Park. I arrived just at sunset, giving me very little time. However, I had been there this summer, so I knew where to look for compositions. Just a few minutes past sunset, I found a good-looking birch tree and framed it with the mountain. It was just starting to rain, which made the scene very dramatic.

I had hopes of continuing to photograph the dramatic weather, but it got a bit too dramatic, with heavy rain and fog covering the mountains.