Erlend Haarberg

As a nature photographer, I feel privileged for having the possibility to experience nature’s changing faces throughout the different seasons.

To begin with the cold winter, when a white blanket of snow covers the landscape. The Sun draws long shadows during the short days. The light from the low Sun, the water frozen into motionless figures, and the wind whipping up the powdered snow are the elements of winter that give birth to eye-catching scenes. Even the dark nights with glittering starlight offer unique experiences, especially when the northern light sweeps across the sky, accompanied by the dreadful sound of breaking ice. There is no other season when I could be so frozen, but no other when I feel more alive.

After a long winter it is always good to feel the warming rays of Sun on my body. For a bird photographer, spring is a high season when millions of my winged friends return to Scandinavia, to their breeding grounds. Together with the shrinking of snow, plants begin to rise towards the light sky. Nature explodes with life and joy. No other season is more eventful and rich for adventure, than spring – every year it seems as if we all start again anew.

The summer follows with a profusion of smells and sounds. Laying on my back with peace in my heart, listening to the call of the black-throated diver traveling over the surface of the still waters of a lake, gives me a real wilderness feeling. These are the moments when I feel harmony and unity with nature.

The heralds of autumn bring frosty nights along, and are followed by a rich palette of colours in the woods and the fields. The vapour of rutting descends over the moors and forests, with deer taking the preliminary steps in delivering the next generation for the following spring. The circle of the year comes to an end, and I am ready for a new beginning.

There are many ways for being rich in this life. My richness is my freedom and the many unique moments I experience in nature.