In this photography guide, you'll learn everything you need to know about photographing Senja as a landscape photographer. From the best photography locations and the ideal seasons to visit, to the challenges you may encounter, the gear you should bring, hiking information, and more. This guide will help you plan a successful photography trip. Combine this article with our Ultimate Photography Guide to Norway which includes information on drone photography and many more location tips.
Where is Senja
Senja is an island located in northern Norway with dramatic peaks, fjords, wild nature areas and the best mountain in Norway: Segla! Senja is the second largest island in Norway (without the Svalbard archipelago taken into account). It is located above the more popular Lofoten Islands. Senja is the second-largest island on mainland Norway, covering an area of 1,586.3 km². The Island has only 8,000 inhabitants, with Finnsnes as the closest town. The town Finnsnes is not located on the Senja island, but right next to it on the mainland.
How to Reach Senja
You can visit Senja by flying to Evenes airport or by Tromso Airport. From Evenes airport it is a two hour and 25 min drive to the start of the Senja Island. From Tromso Airport is is roughly the same time, with two hours and 18 min.
Best Seasons for Landscape Photography
The best season to take landscape photos in Senja is summer. The days are long, all locations can be reached by hiking, there are flowers, streams and there is even a chance to see and capture a cloud fall. Do keep in mind that the period around June 21 can be a bit challenging with the sun not setting and staying a bit above the horizon. For more info see our Midnight Sun article.
A beautiful cloud waterfall surrounding Segla during out Midnight Sun Tour.
A good period to visit Senja for the summer season is no earlier than mid-may, and no later than mid August. Before mid-may there can still be too much snow. The snow is not only making the hikes more difficult, but can also be distracting in a landscape photo. Keep in mind that each winter and spring is different, with sometimes still snow in Senja on the higher parts till mid June, while other times most snow is gone around mid-may. After mid-August the weather becomes more difficult with more rain, wind and shorter days. Most wildflowers will also be gone. The transition season from summer into autumn will start around this time.
The second best season to photograph Senja is the winter season. The landscape looks completely different – and is always covered in a layer of snow. The winter starts in November and ends in March/April. The northern lights can create a great subject to your Senja landscape photos. Check the Live Aurora Forecast - Aurora Labs Norway. Another subject to shoot in Senja during winter is the snow covered ridge lines. They are difficult and dangerous to shoot with a normal camera, but a drone can do the trick here. Do keep in mind you have to get close to the ridgeline to create the depth and make them stand out.
To get this shot you have to go extremely low to the snowy ridge with your drone.
Landscape photography in Senja during autumn can also be interesting. The autumn season starts around the beginning of September and often ends mid October.
You certainly have autumn colors, but because of the lack of trees, the colours will not be as dominant as for example the Dolomites or Patagonia. The autumn season also lasts shorter in Senja compared to other areas. The summer turns into winter more quickly because of it’s high latitude. There are some bushes you can use as foreground for your landscape photo during autumn. This will show the fall coloured leaves nicely and creates the autumn mood.
Autumn tones and soft light on Segla.
The spring in Senja is a bit more difficult. Just like any other mountain area, spring is a difficult season to capture because of the snow in the mountains. Senja is no different. You have to wait until most snow has been melted in order to capture the landscape. By that time you are already in summer.
Best Places to Stay Senja
There are plenty of accommodation options in Senja for your landscape photography trip. Of course, the best accommodation in my opinion is your tent, especially during the summer season. But, in case you go in winter or with a family, proper accommodation can be a better option. Hamn I Senja is a great place to stay. Like most accommodations in Norway, it is apartment style which means you have your own kitchen. Of course you can also choose to eat in the restaurant. The price is around 120 EUR/ 140 USD a night. The location is next to the village of Hamn, which is more south of most popular Senja photography spots (Segla, Husfjellet). The nearest photography spot is Skaland, which is the beginning of the hike to Husfjellet.
Senja Fjordhotell is a real hotel, unlike most other good accommodations which are apartment style. It is located all the way in the south of Senja in Anderdalen National Park. The price is around 160 EURO/ 190 USD a night. You are not close to the main photography spots, but it allows you to find new spots in the Anderdalen area where the mountains are less rigid but still beautiful.
Polar Panorama lodge is located in Fjordguard. Which means you are right underneath Segla, ready to get your landscape photos when the light becomes good. This lodge is unique because of it’s big windows from the floor to the ceiling. This give you a great view on the fjord and also allows you to see the northern lights in all it’s glory (if they show of course). This accommodation is recommended if you are with a big group – and not if you are alone or a couple.
Mefjord Brygge is a cheaper option on a great location with decent quality. It is located in the village Mefjordvaer , which is just above Senjahopen. It is not directly located at most photography spots, but it only takes a 30 to 40 min drive to most shooting locations. You can also see Segla in the distance from the west side. This can be ideal if you want to watch the weather and make sure you know if the right conditions arrive.
Best Landscape Photography Spots Senja
Segla and Hesten
If I have to name one spot to photograph in Senja it has to be Segla. This mountain has the shape of a sharks fin. When you approach the mountain from the village of Fjordgard, it looks like any other mountain. But when you start to see it from an angle, it becomes sharp. It also drops down all the way towards the fjord on the west side. Segla is great to photography from it’s north side, but not from the south.
When you hear the name Hesten, you will most likely seen a photo taken from Hesten looking towards Segla. The mountain itself is nothing more than a viewpoint towards Segla. The Hesten mountain/viewpoint is 556 meters high. The trail is 2km long one-way. The difficulty is moderate because of the last section which is exposed and steep.
The northern lights as seen from Heston looking towards Segla.
During summer and the midnight sun period, the light becomes good around 8pm. The sun then hits the west side of Segla and also a bit of the north side. When the sun moves further towards the north, the north side of Segla will catch more light, and the shadows will become smaller until the light becomes a bit flat. Therefore the period around midnight does not have the best light. The period of 4am to 6am is better when the east side is catching the light. Keep in mind there is no sunrise during mid summer. On the end of August and September the sunrises are the best in Segla. The sun will appear on the east side, and with a bit of luck you will see light-rays hitting Segla.
Soft light on Segla during summer.
The best foregrounds to use for Segla are flowers. There are small white flowers which are called Dwarf Cornel.
Layers of white flowers cover the hillsides during summer.
You can also use a person at Hesten to show the sense of scale and add a feel of adventure. You have to use a drone to show this perspective.
Including a person for scale adds good depth to this image.
Husfjellet
Husfjellet is known for it’s spectacular views towards the north and east. This mountain is 634 meters high and can be reached along a 4.35km long hiking trail which starts at the village of Skaland. From the viewpoint you see two sister peaks in the east. Towards the north-east you see the sharp ridge-line of the mountains along the fjords. In the north you will have the midnight sun. You can include flowers as a foreground subjects which are often growing on the north side. A person can help for a sense of scale. You can also include a person on the highest peak and frame them with the rocks from the ridge-line. This is something I did in 2018 for the first time.
Taken during the midnight sun of 2018.
This is a popular composition now, judging by the number of photographers who are doing the same now when shooting from Husfjellet. A recent trip made me shoot the same composition different by using a drone and showing the ridge-line from above.
The best season to shoot Husfjellet is from the beginning of summer till autumn. The summer is best because of the northern position of the sun – which is where the best view is from Husfjellet. You can camp around 200 meters underneath the peak.
Keipen and Grytetippen
The mountains Keipen (938 meters) and Grytetippen (885 meters) in Senja are often mentioned together since they are next to each other. The hike to them follows the same path for most of the way. They are located inside the fjord and have a view towards Fjordgard on the west and Husoy in the east. The hike can be accessed when parking at the parking right before the Fv275 continues as tunnel. This is also the parking to the Barden mountain. There is also another trail to Keipen and Grytetippen – which starts on the side of road E826. In this Senja landscape photography article I will only describe the Fv275 trail.
So the trail starts around 90 meter above sea level. Which means you have to ascent roughly 800 meters to reach Keipen and Grytetippen. The hike starts easy, by going up the saddle. From the saddle you have a nice view over the Norwegian Fjords. When you turn left you will go to Barden. We go right, to the higher mountains, Keipen and Grytetippen. The first part is the steepest part. The trail is marked but the trail itself is often not visible at this section. Once you have passed this steep section the trail becomes more visible and goes up all the way to the second saddle. From here you have to choose if you go to the right (to Keipen) or to the left (Grytetippen).
From Grytetippen you have a good view towards Segla and the mountains behind it, creating good options for us landscape photographers. You will also see another lower mountain on your right side which creates some nice depth in your landscape photo. During the summer season the sun is directly inside the frame, creating a lot of depth and sometimes lightrays over the mountains. The use of a tele-lens from Grytetippen can be rewarding for your landscape photo – zooming in on he impressive Segla mountain ranges.
The view from Keipen is also spectacular but the balance between mountains and fjords is a bit missing. The fjords are a bit further away and therefore it is a bit more difficult to compose. Some sea-fog (but not too much) could be handy on this spot.
Keipen sunset view over the fjords.
Barden
Barden is a 659 meter high mountain in Senja. The starting point of the hike is described already above (Keipen and Grytetippen). The hike is easier but can look a bit intimidating when looking at it from a distance. It follows a steep ridge line, but the ridge line has a good trail and is not as exposed as it looks like. The ridge line becomes wider and easier when you get higher. From the mountain itself you have some good views and landscape photography opportunities towards Segla. You will see many layers on the Segla and the mountains behind it. A tele-zoom can work great here. There are also photography opportunities along the way, just after the saddle.
Barden viewpoint taken in 2017.
In summer the sun will go above and behind the Segla mountain range – creating a lot of depth between the layers which is great for landscape photography. In late winter and autumn the sun will set behind the mountains but will illuminate the Segla mountain on it’s east side at sunrise.
Roalden Senjahopen
Above Senjahahopen there is a mountain with a spectacular view over the fjords which is great for landscape photography. The mountain is called Roalden. It is 862 meter high and the hike is around 2,5 km long. The hike is relatively easy, but only from mid-summer onward because of the snowfields.
The landscape photography opportunities are incredible. Especially with the use of a drone the depth of the mountain itself can be shown. Of course the distant mountains look spectacular, with great balance between fjords and mountain, but it is the mountain you are standing on which gives the scene the wow factor.
The scene looks both spectacular with and without sea-fog. It is actually better to no have too much sea-fog, because this will cover the fjords which are adding to the scene and depth. The best season is once again the summer season – because of the position of the sun in the north and the lack of snowfields (which can be distracting). I recommend to shoot the Roalden viewpoint in Senja at around 10 to 11 pm for the best landscape photos.
Best Photography Gear for Senja
Your first choice is a camera with a wide angle zoom lens. This setup will come in handy when shooting most spots – such as the Segla mountain, Roalden and Husfjellet. The zoom gives you some flexibility – such as a 14-30 mm lens. Wider than 14mm is not needed – unless you very close to Segla, but in that case you are too close and the distortion will be too much.
Your second choice for photography gear in Senja is a drone. A drone, such as the DJI Mavic Pro 3 or 4, can be a great tool to shoot Segla, Husfjellet, Roalden and many more spots. It will help you to show the steep and rugged ridges. It will also help you to do more shooting in the winter season when the trails can otherwise be difficult to access. When using a drone you often want to do a drone panorama. I always do a drone panorama consisting of two or more photos. This will help to show the depth of the image.
The third choice in Senja is a camera with tele-zoom lens. This can be a good setup for shooting from Barden, Keipen and Grytetippen. The use of a tele-lens is not as important in Senja compared to other locations, such as the Dolomites in Italy or the Peruvian Andes. You also don’t want to bring anything too heavy up the mountain. I recommend any zoom lens up to 200mm.
Biggest Photography Challenges in Senja
1. The Midnight Sun
Yes, the incredible midnight sun can be a challenge. Especially during the period between June 10 and July 4 the sun doesn’t only stay up all day, it also stays relatively high. When you do have clouds it can still create great light, but the midnight sun periods outside this period are better.
2. The winter
Senja is situated well above the Arctic Circle. At the same time the warm gulf-stream makes the area less cold to areas on a similar latitude but without the warm gulf-stream, such as Alaska or Northern Russia. Still, the winter months are dark and cold. It also makes most locations difficult to reach on foot unless you have the right equipment and experience. Think about snowshoes, crampons and knowledge about avalanche danger.
3. The Increase in popularity
Senja has always been lesser known compared to the Lofoten Islands among landscape photographers. While the Lofoten Islands still attract more people, so is Senja getting more popular. The increase in popularity is not only the increase in popularity of the region itself, but also people who have experienced sold out accommodations in Lofoten or too many crowds in Lofoten. A location like Fjordgard underneath Senja has seen a giant increase in it’s number of visitors and landscape photographers each year. The extra challenge for you as landscape photographer is simply to not walk in each others way when shooting.
While most visitors are not landscape photographers, they can be enjoying the view or take self-portrait photos. Having said this, the other spots with more hiking are automaticity less popular. A location like Roalden or Keipen is still very quiet with mostly Norwegians going up the mountain.
4. Getting something unique
The Senja area does have many mountains, but not each mountain has been scouted for landscape photography. While Norway is great for hiking, it doesn’t have the same number of hiking trails as a place like Switzerland or the Dolomites. At the same time, many places are good but not great for landscape photography based on Google Earth scouting. For a small area like Senja, there are already many incredible photo spots, but getting to Senja to get something new can be a challenge. Using the weather conditions can be a great way to get something unique in your landscape photo. For example the sea fog during summer or the northern lights during winter.
To get a unique shot you have to be ready to chase the conditions.
Senja & Hiking
You can’t really get the best Senja landscape photos without doing the necessary hiking. All good photo spots require you to hike up the mountain. Even the Segla mountain viewpoint – where you are shooting the Segla mountain, is from higher up and not from the valley. At the same time, the mountains in Senja are not the highest, which makes the hikes not the most difficult or the longest. The hike to Segla for example only takes one hour. The hike to Roalden takes a bit longer with 1,5 to 2 hours.
Still, Senja is a hiking area which can make it difficult for the average landscape photographer. While you can shoot most locations in the Lofoten islands from the shoreline or near the parking lot, you can’t do the same at Senja. There is one location at Senja the shoreline (Tungeneset) where you will find some landscape photographers, but with all respect the view are not anywhere near spectacular.
Final Thoughts
Now you have all the information you need to plan an epic photography trip to Senja alone. Whether you choose to go during the Midnight Sun, to see the Northern Lights. or during another season make sure you save these locations. For more locations in Norway and useful info to plan your Norway adventure check out our Ultimate Photography Guide to Norway.
Max Rive is most driven by seeking new perspectives in the natural world and capturing them in his own distinguished style. Max's powerful portrayals of his interactions with the mountains has earned him international recognition in the outdoor community.
Madison McCardle is a passionate landscape photographer driven by curiosity and a desire to capture the true essence of each place she explores. Through her lens, she seeks new perspectives that reveal the beauty and authenticity of the world.
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