Visual Norway

Current status

2009-12-27T14:45:00.002+01:00

Current view

Current work

Snow on the Bench (second entry)

2009-12-26T11:36:00.003+01:00

One more try...

This Monochrome concept came from Aileni at The Monochrome Weekend

Snow on the Bridge

2009-12-26T10:16:00.002+01:00

A continued Peaceful Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.

This Monochrome concept came from Aileni at The Monochrome Weekend

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-23T12:00:00.003+01:00

To all those who pass by this blog, I wish:

Merry Christmas and
a Happy New Year!

From RuneE.

W is for Winter Solstice

2009-12-22T16:00:00.005+01:00

Yesterday was Winter Solstice - the shortest day of the year and the day that the sun turns in its path and the days for us Northerners start to get longer.

The photo was taken at my observatory. Only on this day does the rays from the rising sun creep through the wooden structures placed in its path and create the pattern in the snow just like this. Only on this day of the year is it possible to get such a photo at this time of the day and the sun hitting the snow like this. Only on this day will the pattern symbolize the the return of the sun.

In other words, it is a photo of the snow on my terrace with the rays from the sun coming between the boards of the wooden fence...

But it was shot yesterday.

Today's post is an entry in the FIFTH round of ABC Wednesday, the meme initiated by Denise Nesbitt.

For more, you can log on via the MckLinky enabled site

Angels for sale

2009-12-19T08:00:00.001+01:00

Glimpsed at a local Christmas market.

This Monochrome concept came from Aileni at The Monochrome Weekend

Local benches, II

2009-12-18T05:00:00.000+01:00

We are still in the neighbourhood of Stølen. This time the benches have a more sturdy, but "homemade" look. They fit very well into this area of old and well maintained houses at the foot of Mount Fløyen.

With both Christmas and the new year coming up, I probably will not be posting benches for a while. And I have got to find some that are worth posting :-)

Morning at the Bridge

2009-12-17T13:41:00.002+01:00

We are fast approaching the winter solstice. Shot this morning.

V is for Velocity

2009-12-15T16:15:00.003+01:00

Various Vehicles have Very Variable Velocities. Verification of the Velocity can be a Vexatious experience for both the driver of the Vehicle and the Verifier.

This one is VERY experimental - but I liked the colour of the car :-)

Today's post is an entry in the FIFTH round of ABC Wednesday, the meme initiated by Denise Nesbitt.

For more, you can log on via the MckLinky enabled site

A traditional Christmas market

2009-12-14T14:52:00.003+01:00

At Schøttstuene, Bryggen, Bergen.

Bergen traffic 1977 - and in 2009

2009-12-12T08:00:00.002+01:00

One more dip into the archives. Traffic passing the Fish Marked ("Torget") in Bergen in 1977. Shot with a Mamyia 1000 DTL . The film was Kodak Tri-X. Scanned from the negative.

This is how it looks today (or rather yesterday). Shot with a Canon 40D.

This Monochrome concept came from Aileni at The Monochrome Weekend

Local benches

2009-12-11T01:00:00.004+01:00

Large parts of Bergen have burned down repeatedly, but has equally repeatedly been rebuilt. In an effort to curb both traffic and enhance the local environment, the authorities and various local organizations have built small parks and recreational areas. And that of course means benches and tables. This is from an area called Stølen.

Of course - a bit of maintenance is still necessary, even if there is cat to keep an eye on things.

Wire of Peace

2009-12-09T19:42:00.002+01:00

Keeping the gate open in December

Vefsna 1975

2009-12-05T10:30:00.001+01:00

This is the river Vefsna in Nordland, in the northern part of Norway. I shot it right after buying my first SLR, a Mamyia 1000DTL with a 50mm/2.0 lens (the only one I had at first). The film was Kodak Tri-X. Scanned from the negative.

This Monochrome concept came from Aileni at The Monochrome Weekly

Reflections in a Contest

2009-12-04T16:30:00.003+01:00

Sometimes one has a bit of luck. This autumn I joined the local photo club Bekkalokket, and through them I got the chance of entering the International Al Thani Award Contest. I did so with four photos - and two of them were accepted! Although they are very different (and I have shown some versions of them before), they both have reflections...

This is a Monochrome that I have named "Winter Opera"

In "Cold Reflection" I have used a technique called HDR which makes it possible to utilise both the very high tones and the very low tones at the same time (actually based on several photos).

You must allow an old amateur to feel a tiny bit proud :-)

James at Newtown Area Photo has a meme called Weekend Reflections. Post a reflection during the week-end, log on to MckLinky via his site - and you're on.

A Bench, Henrik Ibsen and Terje Vigen

2009-12-04T01:00:00.002+01:00

I must admit that the bench I am posting this time is not very exciting. It is a common garden variety. However - the place I found it is not, and I must admit that the bench is partly en excuse for the rest of the post. As you can see for yourself, the bench is placed in a churchyard.

And it is situated right in front of a monument, right beside an old church.

The church is called Fjære Kirke, and is situated in the outskirts of Grimstad - an idyllic town in the most southern part of Norway. It dates from 1150 AD.

And why have I gone to all this trouble, who is the monument raised for and why have I mentioned Henrik Ibsen in the title? Bear with me a little bit more, and I'll try to explain:

Henrik Ibsen is best known as playwright and a theatre director, but also as a poet (which several of his plays clearly document). His most famous poem (in Norway at least) is called Terje Wigen. As usually Wikipedia has something to say on the subject:

Terje Vigen is a poem written by Henrik Ibsen, published in 1862. Much of the story and setting is from the area around the town of Grimstad in southern Norway where Ibsen lived for a few years in his youth. It describes the dramatic saga of Terje who, in 1809, tried to run the English blockade of Norway's southern coast in a small rowboat in a desperate attempt to smuggle food from Denmark back to his starving wife and daughter. He was captured and imprisoned on an English prison hulk at Fjære and released in 1814 after the Napoleonic Wars were over, only to find that his family had died. He became a pilot, and years later rescued an English Lord who turned out to be the commander of the ship that had captured him. The denouement, as in most Ibsen works, should be understood by reading the original.

I'll give you the first verse in both Norwegian and English (the English translation is an unofficial one, made by John Northam)

Der bode en underlig gråsprængt en
på den yderste nøgne ø; -
han gjorde visst intet menneske mén
hverken på land eller sjø;
dog stundom gnistred hans øjne stygt, -
helst mod uroligt vejr, -
og da mente folk, at han var forrykt,
og da var der få, som uden frykt
kom Terje Vigen nær.

-------

There lived a remarkably grizzled man
on the uttermost, barren isle
he never harmed, in the wide world's span,
a soul by deceit or by guile;
his eyes, though, sometimes would blaze and fret
most when a storm was nigh,-
and then people sensed he was troubled yet
and then there were few that felt no threat
with Terje Vigen by.

Then the last verse in the same way:

Ved Fjære kirke jeg så en grav,
den lå på en vejrhård plet;
den var ikke skøttet, var sunken og lav,
men bar dog sit sorte bræt.
Der stod "Thærie Wiighen" med hvidmalt skrift,
samt året, han hvile fandt. -
Han lagdes for solbrand og vindes vift,
og derfor blev græsset så stridt og stivt,
men med vilde blomster iblandt.

--------

In Fjære churchyard I saw a pilot,
that lay in a weathered sward;
it looked all neglected, a mean sunken spot,
but kept still its blackened board.
It read 'Thærie Wiighen' in white,
the datehis final repose had been.
He lay to the sun and the winds' keen weight,
and that's why the grass was so stubborn-straight,
but with wild field-flowers between.

-----------------------------

The monument was thus raised in 1906 over "Thærie Wiighen" , believed by legend to be the same Terje Vigen that Ibsen praised. Nobody knows if he was, but that does not change much when you are sitting on the bench by the monument and try to absorb the atmosphere, the history and the poetry.

T is for The Two Towers

2009-12-01T15:31:00.003+01:00

Taking a Tour To The Two Towers - Trying To Tell a Tale?

Today's post is an entry in the FIFTH round of ABC Wednesday, the meme initiated by Denise Nesbitt.

For more, you can log on via the MckLinky enabled site

Screwed to the wall

2009-11-29T16:41:00.002+01:00

No escape this way

A roof and a lost balloon

2009-11-28T10:10:00.000+01:00

You may see other things than trains at a station.
The Bergen Railway Station

This Monochrome concept came from Aileni at The Monochrome Weekly

A Monastic Bench

2009-11-27T01:00:00.002+01:00

I'm back at the Lyse Kloster (Lyse Abbey). I don't really know if this is is a bench since I was not around in the 12th century when this was built. I can only imagine a couple of monks sitting down here for some intricate discussions.

My own interest in benches originated by reading the site published by PERBS and Kerri, and the site published by Malyss. Also, others showed an interest in the subject, so I started to take photos of benches I "stumbled" across and posted them on Fridays. It was never meant to be a "proper" meme (so it may not always be possible for me to find an appropriate bench for a Friday), but others joined me in publishing benches on (mostly) Fridays . I therefore never made a blog roll, but visits to my former posts (see archives in the sidebar), to the previous mentioned sites and to Gerald's site Ackworth Born, Gone West (he keeps a small list of benches he finds on his way) might be profitable.

Colour or monochrome?

2009-11-25T18:33:00.004+01:00

The photos show a door opening into an old boathouse. Which version do you prefer?

The colour one?

Or the monochrome one?

For the technically interested: The original photo was shot using a Canon 40D with a Sigma 17-70mm lens. The initial RAW-file has not been cropped. The software was Photoshop CS3 with Camera Raw.

More Monastery in the rain

2009-11-23T20:04:00.002+01:00

Some time ago I posted a monochrome photo from the 12th Century Lyse Abbey outside Bergen. It was raining hard, and I have tried to convey the impression the deserted ruin gave me.

Making haste

2009-11-21T10:30:00.000+01:00

Will he be in time for his train?
The Bergen Railway Station.

This Monochrome concept came from Aileni at The Monochrome Weekly

A fountain in the distance

2009-11-20T16:30:00.003+01:00

September by the lake (Lille Lungegaardsvann) in the City Park, Bergen.

James at Newtown Area Photo has a meme called Weekend Reflections. Post a reflection during the week-end, log on to MckLinky via his site - and you're on.

A bench while you wait

2009-11-20T01:00:00.004+01:00

Some bench-owners are afraid that their benches may get stolen and chain them to the ground. In this case I doubt that it will be necessary. I would be a job for Obelix to lift it.

I think it is a much better idea just to sit down and enjoy the view. The bench is situated outside a small gallery - with it own fish.

However - even thought it is not provided by the local authorities for those waiting for the bus, it is a welcome place to sit down. And you can feel a bit "arty" at the same time.

My own interest in benches originated by reading the site published by PERBS and Kerri, and the site published by Malyss. Also, others showed an interest in the subject, so I started to take photos of benches I "stumbled" across and posted them on Fridays. It was never meant to be a "proper" meme, but others joined me in publishing benches on (mostly) Fridays . I therefore never made a blog roll, but visits to my former posts (see archives in the sidebar), to the previous mentioned sites and to Gerald's site Ackworth Born, Gone West (he keeps a small list of benches he finds on his way) might be profitable.

It may not always be possible for me to find an appropriate bench for a Friday, or I may not even have time to post it. But It isn't my last bench-post.