Northern lights in green and violet over a sandy beach in Vesterålen, reflected in the wet sand

Vesterålen · Arctic Norway · 68.7°N

Arctic Light

A seven-night photography workshop where the autumn coast meets the first aurora nights — guided from dawn shoot to final edit.

Sat 3 – Sat 10 October 2026·EUR 2,995 per personall-inclusive · private single room·Max 7 guests·© Oliver Schwenn

Request your place See the week

At a glance

7 nights: private single room at Vesterålen Apartments
Max 7 guests: one guide, small group, real fieldwork
All-inclusive: meals, transfers, safaris, sauna — one price
All levels: beginner to advanced, tuition in German & English

Focus areas

What you will learn

Five threads run through the week. The weather decides the order; the light decides the day.

Coastal landscapes

Composition and craft on one of Norway’s most dramatic shorelines — surf, headlands, and October’s low golden light.

Sea eagles & wildlife

Two boat safaris put you close to white-tailed sea eagles. Technique for fast wildlife in slow northern light.

Filters for landscape

Polarisers, NDs and grads in real conditions — when they earn their place in the bag and when they don’t.

The northern lights

Early October brings the first proper aurora nights. Field settings, focusing in the dark, and reading the forecast with a specialist.

Editing in Lightroom

Develop the week’s work with structured Lightroom sessions — a workflow you keep long after you fly home.

Violet and green aurora reflected in a still tarn under a starry sky — Northern lights · 68.7°N© Oliver Schwenn

Golden autumn mountainsides mirrored in still water, Vesterålen — Vesterålen · Autumn© Oliver Schwenn

Day by day

The week, as intended

The order below is intent, not promise — in the Arctic, weather has the final word. Every day has a plan A and a plan B.

Day 1
Arrival & welcome
Pickup at Evenes airport, intro and camera-settings session, welcome dinner — and a first aurora watch if the sky allows.
Day 2
Coastal landscapes & filters
Into the field: shorelines, composition, and hands-on filter work in changing coastal light.
Day 3
Sea-eagle boat safari
First boat safari — white-tailed sea eagles and the seabird coast from the water.
Day 4
Nykvåg & the dramatic coast
The wild western shore around Nykvåg — sheer cliffs and heavy Atlantic light.
Day 5
Nyksund, Stø & a coastal walk
The fishing villages of Nyksund and Stø with a coastal walk. Weather buffer and a first Lightroom session.
Day 6
Second safari & Bleik at sunset
Back on the water for safari two, then Bleik beach on Andøya as the sun goes down.
Day 7
Editing & farewell
Finish and edit the week’s work in Lightroom, then a farewell dinner.
Day 8
Departure
Breakfast and transfer back to Evenes airport.

White-tailed sea eagle striking the water with talons extended — White-tailed sea eagle© Oliver Schwenn

One price, the whole week

What EUR 2,995 includes

EUR 2,995all-inclusive · private single room · Max 7 guests

Included

7 nights in a private single room at Vesterålen Apartments
All meals — breakfast basket, packed field lunch, dinner nightly
2 sea-eagle & wildlife boat safaris
Daily sauna
All airport transfers and local transport (Evenes EVE ↔ Vesterålen)
Expert tuition throughout by Oliver

Not included

Flights to/from Evenes (EVE)
Travel & equipment insurance
Personal camera gear

Your guide

Portrait — Dr. Oliver Schwenn

Dr. Oliver Schwenn

Arctic Pictures

Oliver has been photographing the Norwegian Arctic since 1994, across more than 150 journeys through Scandinavia. A geographer by training, with research tied to a Norwegian national park, he is a northern-lights specialist.

A professional photo guide and trainer since 2018, he founded Arctic Pictures in 2021, working to European travel-safety standards. In autumn 2025 he co-published a book on Iceland with photographer Yannick Scherthan in collaboration with National Geographic. He is a brand ambassador for f-stop.

Tuition in German and English · all levels welcome

From the field