In my seventeen years on this planet, there have been a handful of moments in which I have been completely overwhelmed by the intense beauty of my surroundings. In these moments, I have only felt peace, joy, and gratitude to exist in such a beautiful world. During the last week of May and the first week of June this year, I was very lucky to experience this sensation on multiple occasions on a family trip to the Lofoten Islands in Norway. I brought along my friend’s Nikon F2 (He borrowed my FM2N for a few weeks) and a roll of Kodak Ektar 100 and in my overwhelmed state, I did my best to capture these incredible moments.
The first of these moments was on the ferry ride to Moskenesøya from Bodø. We had been waiting at the port for about 10 hours (the 1:00 pm ferry had a very limited number of spots) for the 9:00 pm ferry. At about 11:00 pm, I stepped out onto the front deck only to see the silhouette of the Lofoten islands against the most incredible sunset. After coming to my senses, I set up my tripod and after a couple of metering readings from my phone, I took three photographs, one with the Nikkor 50mm f/1.4, and two with the Nikkor 200mm f/4.
Taken with the 50mm f/1.4
Taken with the 200mm f/4
The second moment happened the following day (only about an hour and a half later) at 12:30 am. We drove about 15 minutes from the port to our Airbnb and again, I was completely overwhelmed by the beauty that surrounded me. I set up my tripod and I took two photographs, one with and one without a warming filter.
Taken with the 24mm f/2.8
This was taken the next day (with the 50mm f/1.4), it is the town on the right side of the previous image.
The third moment took place the following evening. With my parents, I hiked Reinebringen, which consists of a 448 m ascent on a granite staircase. There are no words to describe the view at the summit. I took a total of five photographs on this hike, all with the Nikkor 50mm f/1.4.
Taken with the 50mm f/1.4
I really enjoyed using the Nikon F2. Although it is heavier and slower than my FM2N and the DP-1 prism gives less accurate metering information, there is something very special about it. I drive a 1973 Land Rover Series III and find the shooting experience with the F2 very similar to the driving experience of my Land Rover. Both are simple, raw, and utilitarian in form but incredibly capable in nearly every regard.
Kodak Ektar 100 is my favorite color negative film. The minimal yet beautiful grain structure complimented by the fact that it renders colors in a way that recalls the feelings and emotions evoked by the landscapes that I photograph better than any other film stock available makes it my go to.
Thank you for reading! I don’t really do social media but I do have a fineartamerica profile that serves as both a portfolio and print shop.
fineartamerica.com/profiles/sam-westenskow
25 Comments
thorsten
August 12, 2022 at 10:13 amGreat job Sam! The Lofoten look worth a trip.
Sam Westenskow
August 12, 2022 at 4:24 pmThank you! The Lofotens really are incredible, I hope you get to visit sometime.
Freerik
August 12, 2022 at 11:03 amBeautiful pictures, yes the F2 is an amazing camera, even after 40 of using it each time a joy. There is one big difference the F2 is much more reliable than a Land Rover, and I like them very much. Keep up this good work
Sam Westenskow
August 12, 2022 at 4:13 pmYes! That is the one big difference between and F2 and a Land Rover. I think that a Toyota FJ40 might be more similar in that regard but I don’t own one so I can’t say.
Alexei
August 12, 2022 at 11:05 amThank you for the article and photos!
Clive Shepherd
August 12, 2022 at 1:45 pmGreat to see such high quality results and to read about your interest in photograph with film! Glad there are young people who will give old cameras, and Land Rovers, homes! Thanks for sharing.
Sam Westenskow
August 12, 2022 at 4:17 pmThank you Clive! I am more than happy to take care of old Land Rovers and vintage Nikons 😉
Jonathan MacDonald
August 13, 2022 at 2:42 pmAbsolutely stunning photos
MArkBl
August 12, 2022 at 1:56 pmA great mini blog and fine images. Makes me want to experience this too,
Michael
August 12, 2022 at 2:42 pmBeautiful pictures. Thanks for adding another place to my must-visit bucket list. Oh, and congratulations on driving the Land Rover. I never thought about the correlation between fans of more manual/minimal cars and film cameras, but there must be one. And I say that as a film lover, previous Land Rover owner, and current driver of a 1979 MGB,
Sam Westenskow
August 12, 2022 at 4:18 pmThank you! I didn’t actually realize the correlation either until I made the post! I’d love to own and MGB someday, they seem like such charismatic little cars.
Ken
August 12, 2022 at 3:10 pmHey there Sam. I also had a Nikon F2 with 50mm 1.4 Nikkor when I was 17 and these look very much like the kind of photos I would have made way back then. Great job and continue to enjoy photographing!
sonny rosenberg
August 12, 2022 at 4:03 pmGreat photos and article!
Sam Westenskow
August 12, 2022 at 4:21 pmOf course, thanks for reading!
Sam Westenskow
August 12, 2022 at 4:20 pmThank you Sonny!
Richard Alton
August 12, 2022 at 6:52 pmLovely – thanks for sharing.
Sam Westenskow
August 13, 2022 at 6:07 amThank you!
Clive Prothero-Brooks
August 12, 2022 at 6:55 pmexcellent photos visiting the islands seems to be more popular, and the weather can change quickly. enjoyed the comment about the camera and land rover also have a 73 Ser3 and Nikon SB, both very reliable
Sacha Cloutier
August 13, 2022 at 4:41 amThanks for sharing these awesome pictures. You really convey such beauty through your shots. If I was overwhelmed in these gorgeous locales, I don’t think that I would even remember to press the shutter button. You, on the other hand, took the time to set up a tripod! You are 17, with 40 years of experience! If you had told me that you bought the F2 back in the day when it was a new camera, I would have believed you. Keep up the great work and please share more of your adventures with us!
Sam Westenskow
August 13, 2022 at 5:57 amThank you, that is so very kind of you to say 😊. I still haven’t developed all of the film from the trip yet (I’ve still got a role of Ektachrome and two more rolls of Ektar waiting in the fridge) so this probably won’t be my last 5 frames post about Norway. The scenes from the rest of the trip weren’t quite so dramatic but I reckon there will still be something to write about.
Sam Westenskow
August 18, 2022 at 6:44 amThank you so much Sacha! For me, this is the highest praise that I could receive. I wish I could’ve been around to have shot with the F2 in the 70s!
Sam Westenskow
August 13, 2022 at 2:49 pmThank you so much Sacha! That is the highest that I feel that I can receive. If I have captured a beautiful moment in time and convey that beauty, I feel that my job is done. I will make another submission hopefully sometime in the next month or so.
Matthew Bigwood
August 16, 2022 at 9:10 pmGreat photos, and IMHO the pinnacle of Nikon’s 35mm SLR cameras.
Sam Westenskow
October 7, 2022 at 8:37 pmThank you! I really can’t decide between my FM2 and the F2. I suppose the F2AS might be the solution, if only I could afford one.
Alasdair
August 18, 2022 at 4:47 amGreat photos. The F2 is a weighty beast, but there is a certain satisfaction in using one 😉