Hey friends! Join me @kaylapotterbaum this summer on one of our brand new Fjord & Fjell Photo Trips! Summer 2017 Trip Dates: July 17-20 - Ålesund, Norway! For the first time ever, I am offering guided adventure photo trips to my favorite region in the world, Sunnmøre, Norway where I ve spent the last 3 years living and exploring with my camera (taking these images seen here). Where will we go? On this trip we will venture via boat over to the iconic "swing photo" location deep inside the Hjørundfjord. We ll also explore the quaint town of Ålesund and take in the breathtaking views at two more of Norway s most celebrated landmarks: Trollstigen, and Geirangerfjord (UNESCO World Heritage site)! Come prepared to take in the wonder of the region, while meeting up with other likeminded travelers like yourself. Bring a friend or come solo and let s adventure into the heart of the fjords together! Norway is easily one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Imagine cobblestone streets, endless mountaintop views, ocean, adventure, coffee, and amazing food all in one trip.
Early Bird Pricing is $1750.00 USD per person (thru May 17 2017) $1950.00 after that. Trip cost includes the following: 4 nights lodging in one of Ålesund s top rated hotels based upon double occupancy $300 upcharge for single room occupancy. Full hot breakfast buffet each morning plus 2 dinners provided by hotel 4 days of exploring, with all guiding, and ground transportation for adventure outings Day trips to Trollstigen, Geirangerfjord, The swing location in Hjørundfjord via boat (plus exploring the Ålesund region) Access to Michaela (or other guides) on location with option for one-on-one photo training or photo critique Photography editing breakout session with Michaela with Q&A time Community hangouts with opportunities to network and be inspired by each other Mobile wifi access in most locations
How do I reserve a seat? We d love to have you with us! A 50% deposit* is required to save your place! The remaining fee is due 2 weeks prior to the trip date. If you cancel and decide you cannot come, you must find a replacement and deposit fees will transfer over. Otherwise the deposit is non-refundable. Contact me at: potterbaum@mac.com to reserve your spot today! Credit/Debit Cards accepted as well as Paypal. Not Included in price: Travel Insurance (highly recommended), dinners on days 2 and 3, all lunches, snacks, alcoholic beverages, flights, airport transfers, etc. Please note: we've worked hard to keep our trip cost to a minimum this year but would like to mention that Norway is a higher cost of living nation. Please take this into consideration when planning extra costs such as dinners, lunches, alcoholic beverages etc. *In the event that we should need to cancel the photo trip, all attendees will be refunded their deposits and payments thus far. We aren t responsible for any refunds for air tickets purchased, etc.
Who is this trip for? This trip is for anyone drawn to the idea of exploring the majestic fjords and coastline of Norway with a positive & fun group of explorers! If you ve been seeing photos of Norway on social media for years and finally want to insert yourself into those images this trip is for YOU! We are keeping the numbers lower this first year to create a safe atmosphere where we can easily explore and be inspired not only by the amazing views, but by each other.
Is this photo trip just for photographers? No it s not! However, because the region is a photographers paradise, we know photographers will want to join so we ll be offering a couple breakout sessions for anyone interested in taking their photo taking skills, and photo editing to the next level. In addition, while we are out on location, Michaela (or other guides) will be happy to give input to all level of photographers (or travelers with their mobile phones)! How should we dress? Isn t it summer there? Bring warm layers with options for rain, and sunshine. A warm sunny day in Ålesund is around 80ºF (26ºC), and a typical cloudy/windy day might be more like 55-65ºF (12-18ºC). There is also a chance we will encounter rain so be sure to read the note below regarding the rain possibilities below. As far as what type of clothing gear you ll want on the mountains, hiking gear is great, but not required since we won t be climbing anything that takes longer than 20 min to get up (unless you go for it on your own). Most places we will go are accessible by car, with 5-15 min walking/light hiking from there. Bringing a rain jacket, reliable boots/shoes is a great idea. You may even want waterproof shoes incase you d like to venture off the main paths and go a bit out into nature. It s pretty typical for the Norwegian forests and nature to be a bit damp/wet from the summer rains, so keep that in mind as you plan your clothes.
A note about the weather The magically moody coast of Norway is an incredible place geographically and with that comes the wild and untamed coastal weather we know and love from the region. While we hope for the best conditions possible for our time together, we want to be clear with our participants that there is a chance we will be shooting in windy/rainy conditions at times. So please come prepared with rain/wind proof hiking gear as mentioned above. We will be monitoring the weather daily and taking our excursions based upon local weather conditions in the region. We ll do our best to navigate any rainy weather, but there may be times we venture out into it! So please stay flexible and open minded for the duration of the trip and we promise to do our best to set you up for some amazing experiences along the way!
Where will we be staying? The hotel we will be staying at is Hotel Brosundet Bryggen (subject to change). It is the yellow hotel seen along the water canal in this image above. It is one of the top rated hotels in Ålesund, let alone Norway! We love this hotel for several reasons one being that the staff are incredibly kind and helpful, and two: you can fish from the hotel room windows into the sea canal! Yes, we said FISH. Welcome to Norway! What does the schedule look like? You ll arrive and check-in to your room by 3pm on day 1 and be ready to roll by 3:30pm when we will meet up at the hotel and head out to discover downtown Ålesund together. We'll explore the cobblestone streets and hike up to the famous Fjellstua lookout point in town. Later on we'll meet back at the hotel for dinner (provided by hotel) and meet for a community hangout/q&a session Michaela in the evening for those who'd like to join. There are plenty of great restaurants/bars/coffee shops within walking distance to hotel for those that would like to explore town a bit more. The Day 2 and Day 3 are dedicated adventure outing days where we will go out into the mountains and fjords to photograph the breathtaking views. We'll pick our locations and timing as the weather permits, but ultimately we'll make our way to the locations listed in the trip description. Day 4 will be our last day in Ålesund where we will have a free morning to explore the town and shoot on your own, and we'll end in the afternoon with an editing/workflow breakout session for any photographers that would like to join as well as a final Q&A session. Dinner provided by hotel. Head home the next morning with a heart full of new memories, a bunch of new friends not to mention all the memory cards full of new adventure images. (Photo trip schedule & locations subject to change).
Travel Information The closest airport is: Ålesund Vigra Airport (AES). It's usually best to catch flights into Oslo, Amsterdam or London and fly direct to Ålesund from there. From the Ålesund airport you can take the airport bus (21-25 min) into downtown Ålesund for approx. $10-12 USD (Credit/Debit Cards Accepted on board). You can also take the train from Oslo airport direct to Åndalsnes, Norway (5-6 hours) and hop on the 1.5 hour corresponding bus ride that goes direct to Ålesund from Åndalsnes. The train is beautiful in the summer time. (Check out: nsb.no for more info). Think traveling to Norway will be too expensive? Norwegian Airlines has just started offering new low-cost routes between 2 East Coast US airports to Bergen direct (as well as several flights into Oslo). Ålesund is a short 25 min direct flight from Bergen and a 45 min flight from Oslo. Oh and PS. (Insider tip!) Ålesund is pronounced Oh-leh-soond. :) Also, Fjord means fjord. And fjell" means: mountain!