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 Travel with our mentors and try out all of the latest equipment from Nikon! Including world class digital SLRs, Nikkor lenses and the Coolpix line of Digital Cameras.
That night, we boarded Norwegian Coastal Voyage's MS Midnatsol (midnight sun) for a six night cruise up the coast of Norway. The ship was built in 2002 and had a capacity of 1,000 passengers (652 berths). The ship was very nice and the food was excellent. For some towns along the coast, this ship and her sister ships are the only means of travel and receiving cargo.
The second morning on the ship, we toured the city of Trondheim. We first photographed the Nidaros Cathedral - Norway's largest medieval church. From there we walked to a bridge that crossed the river Nidelven. Old wood buildings reflected in the river water which provided ample photographic opportunities. On the morning of August 14th, we crossed the Artic Circle as we continued our journey northward. That day, we visited the Svartisen glacier, Norway's second largest glacier. Later that day, a surprise visit to an “Ice Bar” was quickly arranged by our Mentor Series leader. The Ice Bar was set in a warehouse next to the pier of one of the ships port of calls. All of us broke out our tripods to photograph various ice sculptures in very low (and cold) light. The normal visitors to the Ice Bar had to wonder what was going on seeing all this photographic equipment! Our next stop was the city of Tromso. There we visited the wildlife center where huskies were born and raised to be sled dogs. We were allowed to pick up the adorable puppies and pet any of the sled dogs we wanted. They were very friendly and really enjoyed our attention. Obviously, for those that love animals, there were a lot of good photographic opportunities. Many friends were made on this trip, and it was very enjoyable being with other people who share a passion for photography. Dan, our professional photographer, was simply the best, and we all learned a great deal from him. Mentor Series puts on a first class trip. For me, this was my first trek. I it will not be my last. Fred Kurtz |
On the third day of the trip, we caught a flight to Bergen, Norway. We spent the afternoon in Bergen photographing a beautiful city, and the weather was outstanding! One of our assignments was to photograph the local fish market and surrounding shops and even the locals themselves. We spent the night in Bergen, and the next morning several of us took the incline railway up to the top of the mountain.
The first morning on the ship, we took the Geiranger - Molde excursion. This consisted of taking a motor coach 900 meters above sea level on a road with several hairpin turns. Once at the top, the fog cleared for us to photograph the dramatic fjord where we were dropped off for the excursion. We then traveled through the Norwegian country side photographing quaint houses and scenery. We stopped at another point along the excursion where people would take rocks and make their own rock sculptures.