He is originally from Scotland, but the Norwegian nature was so beautiful that he felt inclined to move to Norway, “a paradise for the landscape photographer”. Foapers, meet Malcolm Dickson, the winner of Visit Norway’s “Norwegian Festival Moments” Mission. His photo above was selected by Grethe Knapstad Fossen and her colleagues at Visit Norway and today we got a chance to chat with Malcolm and learn more about him and his passion for photography. Enjoy!
Malcolm, first we would like to ask you two questions that were prepared for you by Grethe Knapstad Fossen from Visit Norway:
What made you take this photo? Please share the story behind it.
The photo was taken at Otternes in Aurland. Otternes is a farm located at Aurlandsfjorden. It’s been a farming land for hundreds years and many of its buildings date back to the 1700s. Nowadays many visitors visit this place each year to see how farm life used to look like in this part of Norway, as well as to have the opportunity to sample some of the local food. As part of the summer events there, this outdoor concert has become an annual festival event. Last year Wardruna were the main attraction, and this year it was Valkyrien Allstars. I help out from time to time with the work at Otternes, and so this photograph was a natural way of documenting the wonderful evening that everyone had.
How did you experience the moment you took this photo?
I was enjoying the music when I decided to take a photo of that moment. I noticed that the colour of the sky had changed as the sun was going down. I chose the best possible location to capture the view of the fjord, mountain, the sun and the magic of the event itself.
And here are the rest of the questions from the Foap Team:
Malcolm, your portfolio shows stunning photos of Norwegian landscapes. It probably took a couple of years to master the art of photography in such a way. How did it all begin? How did you become interested in photography?
My photography began in my early teens as a way of capturing the experiences of being surrounded by great landscapes. I climbed a lot in my native Scotland and so the mountains just begged to be photographed. I bought my first serious SLR camera when I was 16. Since then I have continued to develop my interest and in recent years decided to become a little more serious in doing something I have loved most of my life.
You’re quite new at Foap and we’d love to get to know you better. Who is Foaper @m_dickson?
I am originally from Scotland, but now living in Aurland, Norway. I love the outdoors and have been passionate about landscape photography for over 30 years now. I have been a teacher and researcher professionally, but took the decision to move to Norway in early 2014. Norway is a paradise for the landscape photographer, so now I am beginning to share my photographs more widely on Foap with the hope that others might appreciate them and get inspired by them.
Which is your favorite place in Norway?
I think with both the number and variety of beautiful places here in Norway it is almost impossible to choose a favourite. However, I live next to a beautiful fjord in Aurland and it is therefore hard not to see the rich fjord landscapes of water, mountain and sky as my favourite.
If you were asked to recommend 5 Must Sees in Norway, what would it be?
Again, even choosing 5 is difficult, but I’ll try…
- The fjords are definitely a must see. I suggest the UNESCO listed Nærøyfjorden as a highlight.
- Glaciers. It is incredible that many of Norway’s glaciers are pretty accessible. Nigardsbreen is an arm of northern Europe’s largest glacier and is an incredible sight.
- Mountains. The mountains are exceptionally wild and beautiful. Jotunheimen, and especially the Hurrungane range is a must if you love the mountains.
- Waterfalls. Norway is blessed with a huge number of beautiful and spectacular waterfalls. My personal favourite has to be Kjelfossen at Gudvangen. It throws itself more than 2,500 feet (600m) to the valley floor and you can enjoy it close up from the main Oslo to Bergen road, in the most spectacular of settings.
- Stave churches. Norway’s stave churches date back to the 1100s. Made of wood and intricately carved, they are spectacular buildings, often in incredible settings. The church at Borgund would be my must see.
What’s your Holy Grail of photographing Norway? In other words, a dream photo of Norway that you’d like to take in the future?
There are many of Norway’s most famous places that I have not yet photographed – Lofoten, Trolltunga and Prekeistolen – but my dream photo of Norway would be a perfect shot of one of Norway’s greatest mountains.
Thank you Malcolm, it’s been a pleasure to get to know you better and we are delighted to have you Foap.
