By Jon Harris. The rugged Lofoten Islands on the north-west coast of Norway have long been home to a hardy fishing culture. Tales of these fishermen sleeping under their boats, year round, made my blood freeze even though I was there in summer! They eventually started building these ‘rorbu’ or fishing huts for a bit more comfort. Traditionally painted a deep red and often with a turf roof, this particular hut had seen better days. Yet the shine of the timber walls against the moody backdrop of the incoming weather gave this neglected little hut a certain charm.
Canon 5D Mark III; EF 16-35mm; f/2.8L USM
Don’s response
What a pleasantly remote feeling this picture creates. I particularly like how Jon has captured the weathered old hut in the watery sunlight while in the background the forbidding and mountanous landscape looms under threatening skies. Very Nordic.
While the composition is interesting across the left side of the picture, it gets a little humdrum for my taste on the right – particularly the foreground. I’d like to have seen what would happen had Jon come in a little closer, dropped the viewpoint down to around waist level and cut the right hand side off just past that boulder in the water.
Landscapes like this cry out for large renditions, so Jon will want to go back and see if he can do something about what appears to be chromatic aberation along the mountain ridgeline left. Popping up the contrast a touch might be worth a try as well. Overall though, a successful image.
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