Having cycled all over Norway in the past four years, it’s remarkable how little high-quality photos I have to show for it. Epic drone and GoPro shots are plentiful but at the expense of still photography. It’s never been a priority when YouTube is my main social media channel. However, this all changed in early 2023 when I built and launched Cycle Norway’s website. Currently, many of the high-resolution photos on the site are stock photos. This annoyed me, so this summer, I set out to undertake the biggest cycling photoshoot ever recorded in Norway. I don’t know if that is actually true, but let’s roll with it until stated otherwise!

Is it worth the cost?

Unquestionably, booking a photographer and travelling nationwide to capture many great shots would be an expensive ordeal. However, I felt it was an ordeal worth undertaking. I want to put a stamp of approval onto the website, and that starts with original photos, specific to Cycle Norway. But what sort of photos do I require? When I look at the photos on offer at Visit Norway, I shake my head at many of them. A lot seem too staged and unauthentic. They focus on people more than nature and feel this takes something away from the appeal.

Visitnorway promoting cycling in Finnmark in the far north of Norway.

It is well known the number one reason people visit Norway is because of its spectacular nature. Why focus on people? Focus on nature and let the cyclists become part of it.

Lustrafjorden – Cycle Norway

Bike, Human, Road, Nature 

I wanted to focus on storytelling photos that could capture all four elements that make a bike photo special (bike, person, road, nature). Bike photography is a difficult field to shoot in, and many photographers fail to balance the four elements correctly.

With such high costs involved in this project, I wanted to find someone with the experience and a proven track record that they could deliver. I have been following one Norwegian photographer called Emil Nyeng based in Lillehammer for a few years. He has worked with several international cyclist magazines delivering some fantastic photos.

A photoshoot for Rouleur Magazine 2021 – Emil Nyeng

Emil intuitively has an eye for storytelling shots. He ensures not one element (nature, human, bike, road) overpowers another. I think the photo above is a perfect example of all four elements working together to capture a beautiful moment. I felt it was worth the cost to bring Emil on board, as I was confident he would deliver what I required.

We planned five days in August 2023 to hit many of the famous and iconic cycling locations. Sadly, two days before we left, storm Hans hit Norway – the worst in 25 years. Roads were destroyed, and places flooded; therefore, we had no choice but to postpone it until mid-September.

Thankfully the weather looked settled for our September dates, but due to time restraints, we cut the photoshoot to 3 days and reduced the distance travelled. I was still confident we’d get enough variation of shots with the time frame we had.

Three days of work, work, work

Over those three days, we visited 25 locations and captured over 2000 raw photos. Each day we worked 12 -14 hours to maximise the time and light available. On the second day, Emil suggested we get up at 4:30 am. He was concerned about missing the best light on top of the mountain we planned to drive up. He was right; we captured the best part of the morning with some spectacular shots.

On the third and final day, our last location is one of Norway’s most historic roads. Gamle Strynefjellsvegen is a photographer’s dream. But only for those who can see the dream. Emil saw patterns in nature that most people would have disregarded. At one point, he stopped the car abruptly and said I think this could be really good with a drone. I didn’t see what he was referring to, but I pulled the bike out and followed his instructions. In the car afterwards, he showed me the results…I was amazed.

You can watch the short blog of the trip here:

A selection of the photos can be found here: https://cyclenorway.pixieset.com/share/65344a80a2ff7/ 

Route: