Next week I depart the warm summer of Western Australia for my eighteenth (wow, is it really) visit to Norway. Mesna is my first stop and here I’ll be photographing the annual outdoor play and extravaganza that is Birkebeinerspelet. For those of you that are unaware of this magical event, have a look at my previous posts here. My time at Mesna this year is going to be interspersed with a new adventure to an exciting place with a very proud moment taking place whilst I am there. After time with all of my friends at Birkebeinerspelet I will be making a two day trip to Svalbard. For those that are geographically embarrassed about this part of the world, Svalbard is north, way north of Norway and is half way between the mainland of Norway and the North Pole. I knew it was a long way north but it wasn’t until I looked at my flights that I realised how long way north it was – as in a three hour flight from Oslo to Svalbard. Svalbard is 1300km above the Arctic Circle and has polar bears, the northern lights and the Global Seed Vault. It’s another vault here that […]
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Birkebeinerspelet 2018 was performed over three February evenings against the stunning backdrop of Sør-Mesna at Mesna Activities and Accommodation. A resounding success, over 2000 people attended and they were both entertained by the markets and stalls and wowed by the spectacle of a mid winter night time outdoor play. Plans are now well underway for an even bigger event in February 2019. Mark your diaries now – this is one Norwegian event not to be missed. This year I was able to use my new Nikon D850 as the camera of choice and the high pixel count, low noise and superb focussing all combined to help me take some images I am very proud of.
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Next week I return to Mesna in Norway, to take part in Birkebeinerspelet 2018. The following is an interview I undertook for the programme. Photographer and author Ian Brodie has many years’ experience in the film industry. He has specialised in film location tourism, and has published a number of location guidebooks that showcase the beautiful places in his native New Zealand where both the the Lord of the Rings and the The Hobbit film trilogies were shot. In 2012 he was invited to speak at a film tourism conference in Lillehammer, having never been to Norway before. At the conference he met representatives from the Norwegian film industry including Paradox Film. In 2014 they asked him to be unit stills photographer on Birkebeinerne. The rest, as they say, is history. Ian now spends many months every year in Norway working on a number of varied projects. – I fell in love with Norway immediately, says Brodie. – To me, it was a lot like home, like New Zealand, another Middle-earth, but with a long history and a broad mythology that actually inspired Tolkien. – The people, too, are similar: sensible, practical, reserved till you get to know them, but […]
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On Saturday I return to Norway. Mesna, Lillehammer, Oslo and Hemsedal are all on the itinerary and I am looking forward to working again with my great friends in this beautiful country. I will be creating more images and for the first time in this country, capturing aerial images and video with my DJI Mavic Pro.
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So another wonderful trip to Norway ends. Once again, this country and its people never fails to impress me. It's been three weeks of fun with highlights aplenty.
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Working with some wonderful people as we practice for the opening of Birkebeinerspelet 2017 on Friday 17 February. Robert Follin is a professional stunt man educated in the United States. He has choreographed fighting for film and theatre, in addition to working as a stuntman and actor in film, television and theatrical productions in Scandinavia. He has featured in Arn, Vikings, Mammon, Bridge, Eyewitness, Fair Game and the movie Birkebeinerne.
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On Wednesday I return to Norway for the tenth time in five years. It's my second home.
Ever since I was a child I dreamed of visiting this country, the landscape and the mythology always played in the back of my mind. It just seemed to be a place I needed to go.
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So another year draws to a close and it is time to give thanks to 2016. Once again, life provides a rich abundance of experiences that shapes our lives and provides us with life-time memories. Thank you to all my clients, friends and especially my family for being such an important part in a good year. When it comes to highlights, its hard to choose. This gallery presents just some of what 2016 meant to me. Three books released. The Birkebeinerne Location Guidebook, Into Norway and Visit Somerset. Watching the sunset over the Mediterranean from Monaco. Achieving a lifelong dream by seeing Zermatt and The Matterhorn. The beauty reduced me to tears. Going to Berlin and standing underneath the remains of the Berlin Wall. Spending time with wonderful friends at Mesna Activities and Accomodation and experiencing magic. Walking Kew Gardens with my amazing wife. Experiencing the beauty of a Bluebell Wood. Soaking up the English heritage at Somerleyton. Staying on the Norfolk Broads. Visiting the set of my favourite television series, Dads Army. Spending time with friends – Jerry and Galya, Trevor and Jenny. Smelling the aroma and seeing the beauty of an English rose garden at Mottisfont Abbey. Walking the streets of […]
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