The wind made it almost impossible.
The drone kept drifting in the gusts, panoramas failed, and I had to start over again and again.
You stand there, waiting for the right moment.
And then it still doesn’t work.
At some point, it just becomes frustrating.
This image is a 3×3 aerial panorama.
For me, there’s nothing better than wide-angle panoramas like this from the air.
Single frames almost feel too simple in comparison.
At the same time, the really large 180-degree panoramas with 20+ images often become too extreme and lose their natural feel.
This is the balance I like.
It cost me time. Days.
But that’s part of it for me.
In the end, it matters more to create one image that truly feels right than to come home with dozens that don’t.
If that means one strong image per week, that’s perfectly fine.
I keep working on it until it gets as close as possible to what I had in mind.
In the past, my focus was mainly technical.
More sharpness. Cleaner exposures. Perfect quality.
The images were good.
But something was missing.
Today, it’s more about the feeling.
What an image creates. What it carries.
And I’ve realized that technical perfection alone isn’t enough.
Dark areas, blown highlights, noise — things I used to avoid — can give an image character.
You can work with them. Shape them. Use them deliberately.
A perfectly balanced image may be flawless.
But that same perfection can also take away its soul.
It took me a long time to accept that.
Now, this full range is part of how I see.
For me, there is no right or wrong.
Everything is allowed.
In the end, it’s about what you experienced — and the atmosphere the image carries.
And that atmosphere isn’t always beautiful and pleasing.
It can be cold. Harsh. Quiet. Wild. Uncomfortable. Or calm.
That’s what makes it interesting.
When you look at a lot of images today, everything often becomes a bit “nicer” —
more green, more blue, brighter, more pleasing.
And in the end, many images start to look the same.
But is that really what we want?
For me, an image is allowed to feel uncomfortable.
Cold. Heavy. Or simply still.
We feel much more than just “beautiful.”
And that belongs in photography too.
And when it finally comes together like this —
all the struggle was worth it.
Your effort paid off for a marvelous shot. As far as the other stuff goes, what works for me may not work for others and I think as long as we strive to get to the next level, it doesn't matter what others think or do on their own path.
"And in the end, many images start to look the same."
You are bang on the point Stefan. Wait a bit more when "AI" becomes normalized in photography (I understand it a subjective issue and may irk a lot of folks already), but besides that completely agree with you. It is not the quantity or the technical aspects of photography. It's all about the emotions a photograph can invoke. In that regard, your work is amazing. Voted!
Sreedhar.
I've skitoured a couple of times in Lofoten, and I'm heading there again in a couple of weeks' time. Your image (this, and others) transport you there. I know well about harsh conditions...in my first week there, we saw the sun once!
Thanks for refreshing my memory