When Northern Norway changes you
Photographer Bjørnar Brende Smestad joined us during the Sea & Mountain Sports week. That is to say, at that time, he was also an engineer by profession but a photographer at heart. When he returned home from his vacation in Northern Norway, it wasn’t easy to go back to his regular job.
We’ve witnessed this happen several times at SeilNorge, where major life changes and decisions are made after a trip. One might speculate why this happens and could happen.
The vacation in Northern Norway was more than just a holiday, and the experiences with SeilNorge were the fertilizer that made the photographer in me flourish. From taking a few photos on the side and constantly daydreaming about being outdoors with the camera in hand, I now have a life where this is top priority.
Bjørnar
What is it about the north?
There’s no doubt that being on a sailing trip is a special and different frame of reference for most people. We live closely on the boat and closely with nature, following nature’s terms. Northern Norway is also for most people an entirely new place, a new region, a new country. The midnight sun that never sets offers many new perspectives. Along the way, we also visit people who live largely on nature’s terms. Places with a slower pace of life.
Perhaps it’s the vacuum ‘away from the real world’ that often occurs during the journey, which allows people to find peace and space to think independently? Or was it the spectacular nature that helped them reconnect to ‘their roots – their soul,’ to their true selves?
Bjørnar
Or was it the people?
When Bjørnar did an Instagram takeover for us, he shared many beautiful thoughts. How the people, all the wonderful people, along the way had left an impression on him. And as we looked through Bjørnar’s pictures this summer, that’s precisely what impressed us, how he managed to capture moments, quite literally, in a way we really liked.
Pictures & fond memories
Below, you can see the moments Bjørnar managed to capture. The pictures were taken on the sailing trip, Sea & Mountain Sports week, which went from Træna to Lofoten. One of SeilNorge’s most active trips, offering the very best of sailing, activities, and nature experiences.
