Owner: Photos from northern Norway URL:http://blog.thomaslaupstad.com/ Join Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2007 18:06:20 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: An unique view from the arctic. New photos every day. Site statistics:Click here
Photo of sunset at 01:30 AM - Midnight sun is here 2007-05-16 20:02:51
Taken on May 15th 2007. Click image for larger view.
This photo was shot at 01:30 AM in the night. As you can see it is light 24 hours a day and it is very hard to go to sleep when the weather is so great.
The mountains in the background is part of the island Senja.The village silhouette is Laupstad where I grew up and where my last name origins.
Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital single-lens reflex camera
Exposure: 0.04 sec (1/25)
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 150 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 40-150mm F3.5-4.5
Location: Ånstad, Andørja (Ibestad) in northern Norway Read more:Photo
Photo from a calm coast 2007-05-16 01:31:13
Taken on May 3rd 2007. Click image for larger view.
Taking pictures while standing out in the ocean is very nice.
The island in the background is called Grytøya.
Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital single-lens reflex camera
Exposure: 0.004 sec (1/250)
Aperture: f/9
Focal Length: 14 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Location: Laupstad, Andørja (Ibestad) in northern Norway Read more:Photo
Macro photo of Ichneumon wasp 2007-05-20 11:18:16
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on May 6th, 2007. Click image for larger view.
Warmer days bring out more insects.
This is some kind of parasitic wasp (Ichneumon) that lay eggs in other insects. Their larvae feeds on the insect until it dies. This can be very useful as a biological pest control instead of using toxic pesticides.
I have tried to identify the species, but there are estimated to be over 80,000 of them so it is hard. Hope some of my readers can help me out with the ID.
Or it might be some kind of alien overlord?
Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital single-lens reflex camera
Exposure: 0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture: f/9
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro
Location: Laupstad, Andørja (Ibestad, Troms) in northern Norway
A gray and wet 17th of May - The Norwegian National Day 2007-05-18 16:35:29
Taken on May 17th 2007 with Olympus E-500 digital camera. Click image for larger view.
17th of May is the Norwegian
Constitution Day and the National
Day. We celebrate that our constitution was signed on May 17th in 1814.
Was a very gray and wet day here in the north, but had to take a shot of the family house with a wet flag blowing in the breeze.
Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital single-lens reflex camera
Exposure: 0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 14 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Location: Laupstad, Andørja (Ibestad) in northern Norway
Added a touch of HDR (high dynamic range) in Lightroom. Read more:National Day
Macro photo of Purple Saxifrage flower 2007-05-18 13:31:15
Taken April 19th, 2007. Click image for larger view.
This is Purple
Saxifrage (Saxifraga oppositifolia), an arctic plant just living in the north or high up in the mountains. According to Wikipedia it is found at the most northerly plant locality in the world, 83°15′N in north Greenland.
Was actually the first flower
I saw this year and I found it 400-500 meters up in the mountains.
Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital single-lens reflex camera
Exposure: 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture: f/9
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro
Location: Up in the mountains at Å, Andørja (Ibestad, Troms) in northern Norway
Photo of amazing red sunset at midnight in northern Norway 2007-05-20 18:42:15
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on May 15th 2007. Click image for larger view.
This is one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen! I hope I have managed to recreate a small percentage of natures beauty in this shot.
The time was 11:30PM in the evening and whole sky and sea was red. When you see sights like this you take way too many shots. Afterwards it is really hard to decide on which picture to show.
Will be away for some time so the blog will be not be updated so frequently in the next couple of weeks, but will try to post some photos.
Please let me know if there is anything special you would like to see on my blog
Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital single-lens reflex camera
Exposure: 0.025 sec (1/40)
Aperture: f/10
Focal Length: 42 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Location: Ånstad, Andørja (Ibestad) in northern Norway Read more:Photo
, midnight
Macro photo of hermit crab and barnacle 2007-05-28 16:21:20
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on May 18th, 2007. Click image for larger view.
Close up shot of a common hermit crab (Pagurus pubescens).
These critters are so funny to observe. Each have their own personality. Some are really brave and fights everyone and some hide in their shell at the smallest sign of danger.
When I was a kid I used to drop empty shells among a bunch of hermit crabs. They would always check out the shell and if they liked it, they changed shells.
If a bigger hermit crab likes the shell that another crab has, it will force it out to get better housing!
Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital single-lens reflex camera
Exposure: 0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture: f/6.3
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro
Location: Laupstad, Andørja (Ibestad, Troms) in northern Norway
Photo of Long-tailed Duck 2007-05-31 05:42:00
Taken on May 10th 2007. Click image for larger view.
This beautiful bird is called Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis), formerly known as Oldsquaw.
It lives in the cold northern oceans and large lakes in the North Atlantic region, Alaska, northern Canada, northern Europe and Russia.
In this shot you can see the summer plumage of the male of the species.
Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital single-lens reflex camera
Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/400)
Aperture: f/7.1
Focal Length: 150 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 40-150mm F3.5-4.5
Location: Out on the ocean by Laupstad, Andørja (Ibestad) in northern Norway Read more:Photo
Photo of cherry blossom in northern Norway 2007-06-04 05:00:32
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on June 3rd, 2007. Click image for larger view.
http://www.thomaslaupstad.com/bilder/cherry.jpg
Planted a cherry tree last week and yesterday the first flowers started to blossom.
Will be interesting to see if the fruit will be edible so far north
Planting stuff that you can eat is so rewarding!
Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital single-lens reflex camera
Exposure: 0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture: f/10
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro
Location: Laupstad, Andørja (Ibestad, Troms) in northern Norway Read more:Photo
Photo of snowy seawall in the winter 2007-06-01 17:17:30
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on February 26th 2007. Click image for larger view.
The summer is upon us so it is nice to look back at the colder season and enjoy the warmth!
Thought the sky over the seawall was beautiful so had to take a shot.
Got some other photos of the seawall with waves hitting it, here and here.
Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital single-lens reflex camera
Exposure: 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 16 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Location: Laupstad, Andørja (Ibestad) in northern Norway Read more:Photo
, winter
Macro photo of kingcup flower 2007-06-07 03:35:20
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on May 13th, 2007. Click image for larger view.
This is the flower
(in the early stages of flowering) of Caltha palustris, commonly known as Kingcup or Marsh Marigold.
It is one of the first willd flowers to flower in the spring up here in the north.
The plant lives in wet areas, often close to rivers or bogs.
When I was a kid we used to call it “butter flower” and place the flower under eachothers chin to see if we liked butter. We loved butter if the sunlight reflected yellow light on our skin. Great fun
If you look closely you can that some kind of insect have taken a bite of the flower.
Does this plant grow where you live or is it native to arctic areas? Please leave a comment to let me know.
Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital single-lens reflex camera
Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/13
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro
Location: Laupstad, Andørja (I
Photo from a misty pre-sunset 2007-06-05 07:00:44
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on May 11th 2007. Click image for larger view.
While walking a sandy beach the light turned very special so had to take a shot.
Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital single-lens reflex camera
Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/500)
Aperture: f/7.1
Focal Length: 57 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 40-150mm F3.5-4.5
Location: Ånstad, Andørja (Ibestad) in northern Norway Read more:Photo
Taking pictures while laying in a buttercup meadow 2007-06-10 18:28:53
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on June 9th, 2007. Click image for larger view.
Summer is here!! What is better than laying down in a meadow full of buttercups and just listen to the birds chirping, the insects buzzing and the occasional sound of my shutter taking a photo.
I’m planing on trekking the mountains you see in the background of this photo and I will of course bring my camera so stay tuned. Up there you get a fantastic view of many of the neighbor islands and the Atlantic ocean.
Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital single-lens reflex camera
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro
Location: Laupstad, Andørja (Ibestad, Troms) in northern Norway Read more:Taking
Last light on a winter day with Venus showing up 2007-06-08 18:46:32
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on March 6th 2007. Click image for larger view.
This photo was shot on back in the beginning of March this year and I actually miss the winter
a little bit.
I don’t miss the cold, but miss the light
that is very special in winter. Now it’s daylight 24 hours a day and that is not so exciting photography wise.
Each season has good sides
You can see Venus
shining over the boatshed and fjord making the scenery even nicer.
Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital single-lens reflex camera
Exposure: 3.2 sec (16/5)
Aperture: f/5
Focal Length: 36 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Location: Ånstad, Andørja (Ibestad) in northern Norway
Macro photo of forget-me-not flowers 2007-06-13 18:30:22
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on June 9th, 2007. Click image for larger view.
Found some wild forget-me-not (Myosotis) flowers. Not sure what exact species is, but they are really beautiful!
Hoping to get into the forest or up in the mountains in the days to come. Will look for some more wild flowers to capture with my dear camera.
Please subscribe to my RSS feed if you want to see what I find
Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital single-lens reflex camera
Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro
Location: Laupstad, Andørja (Ibestad, Troms) in northern Norway
Photo from a midnight stroll on the beach with the midnight sun behind some clouds 2007-06-12 18:48:50
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on June 11th 2007. Click image for larger view.
It had been raining all day, but as the bedtime was closing in the weather was clearing up so I had to go for a walk on the beach.
The midnight
sun helped me enjoy the walk and luckily I had brought the camera.
Who needs to sleep in the summer? Lots of time for that in the winter
The village silhouette you can see in the horizon is the village Laupstad where I grew up and got my last name for. The mountains are a part of the large island Senja.
Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital single-lens reflex camera
Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 57 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 40-150mm F3.5-4.5
Location: Ånstad, Andørja (Ibestad) in northern Norway Read more:Photo
, behind
Photo of old fence keeping out hordes of yellow flowers 2007-06-17 05:19:31
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on June 14th 2007. Click image for larger view.
Really like the texture of the this old fence
. I think it gives the photo a rural feel to it.
The meadow behind the fence is full of buttercups and dandelions that want to take over the garden
This photo actually got popular on Flickr explore and made it number 120 on June 15th.
Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital single-lens reflex camera
Exposure: 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture: f/7.1
Focal Length: 118 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 40-150mm F3.5-4.5
Location: Laupstad, Andørja (Ibestad) in northern Norway
Effect: Orton, to make the background more out of focus Read more:Photo
Photo of midnight sunset and some amazing clouds 2007-06-15 19:03:50
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on June 12th 2007. Click image for larger view.
This photo was taken through my bedroom window at midnight
. I guess it’s not really a sunset because the sun is not setting in the horizon. The midnight sun is just hiding behind the mountains.
What I really found striking with this scene, was the massive cloud formations. Don’t you want to fly up there, lie down in the cotton clouds and get a tan from the midnight sun? Sounds like a nice dream to me
Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital single-lens reflex camera
Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture: f/6.3
Focal Length: 24 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Location: Ånstad, Andørja (Ibestad) in northern Norway
Read more:Photo
Old fishing boat on a calm sea 2007-06-14 20:08:46
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on June 1st 2007. Click image for larger view.
I find these old fishing boats made of tree very beautiful. Hope to own one myself some day..
Maybe you wont believe me, but I’m standing on a pier with the pretty large town Harstad right behind me. This scenery doesn’t look very urban, does it?
I was staying in Harstad for 3 weeks attending a course and had a real hard time finding things to take photos of. I’m glad to be back home where there are more nature to walk around in
The mountains in the back are from the islands Rolløya and Andørja (where I live).
Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital single-lens reflex camera
Exposure: 0.004 sec (1/250)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 40 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 40-150mm F3.5-4.5
Filter: Circular polarizer
Location: Harstad in northern Norway
Macro photo of a Common Wasp 2007-06-18 19:58:42
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on June 6th, 2007. Click image for larger view.
This is a picture of a Common
Wasp (Vespula vulgaris). Please correct me if I’m wrong about the species. The species “Norwegian Wasp” looks similar so I’m not 100% sure.
I’m not a big fan of these stingy creatures, but after taking this picture my fear for wasps is getting a little cured. You see the macro lens I’m using has a focal of 35mm and that means I have to get very close to the subject to get a macro photo. The wasp did not seem to care about me at all so no harm done.
Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital single-lens reflex camera
Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro
Location: Harstad, Troms in northern Norway
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Photo of winter mountain and pebble beach 2007-06-17 18:37:17
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on March 23rd 2007. Click image for larger view.
This photo was taken back in March when there was still lots of snow around.
I really love this beach full of millions of small pebble stones. It is very special to walk on it and listen to waves rolling in.
The reason I’m posting this photo today is that I was contacted on Flickr about this particular picture. The person contacting me are making a book about “Hurtigruten” (English: Costal Express) in Norway and wanted to use this shot in their book. I’m very excited about this because I have never been printed before!
The project is very low budget so all I’m getting from it is a free book and of course my name in it, but the satisfaction of getting printed is payment enough.
Huritigruten (or Hurtigruta as we call it in northern Norway) is a passenger and freight line that sails daily along most of of our long coastline. The trip takes 11 days and is very popular amon Read more:Photo
, winter
Macro photo of hoverfly on dandelion flower 2007-06-22 21:29:46
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on June 21st, 2007. Click image for larger view.
This is a hoverfly (Syrphidae), also know as flower
flies, that are feeding on a dandelion flower. I have been trying to figure out what kind of species it is and I believe it is a Leucozona lucorum. From the looks of the hoverfly it seems to be mimicking a bee.
Lately my photography have been concentrated on taking macro photos because there are so many insects buzzing around.
When I’m seen outside I’m usually on my knees hunting for new subjects to photograph. I have discovered several new insects that I have never seen before and have got to know the names of several insects.
I have been having some challenges with my macro lens. It is has a focal length of 35mm which means I have to get really, really close to the subject to get a nice close up. To get so close can be really hard with camera-shy insects like hoverflies or butterflies.
So here is my photography tip of the day: If you Read more:Macro
Photo of Norwegian winter landscape in January 2007-06-21 04:33:19
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on January
30th 2007. Click image for larger view.
This was shot back in January when I had just got my DSLR camera and had no idea about what I was doing. I quite like the “postcard” feeling to it.
This house is placed directly below a mountain called Å-tinden. You can see the mountain here. You can not be afraid of avalanches and live there!
Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital single-lens reflex camera
Exposure: 0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture: f/4.1
Focal Length: 92 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 40-150mm F3.5-4.5
Location: Ånstad, Andørja (Ibestad) in northern Norway
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, Norwegian
, winter
Macro photo of a dance fly couple mating and eating a fly 2007-06-27 18:53:25 This is a horror story from my garden! I was walking around enjoying the nice weather and then I noticed some weird looking large flies. After closer inspection it wasn’t just one fly, it was three! Two dance flies were mating and consuming a fly. So I had to document it with my camera and show it to you.
View the photos large to see more details of natures wonders.
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on June 24st, 2007. Click image for larger view.
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on June 24st, 2007. Click image for larger view.
Dance flies (Empididae) is a family of flies with over 3000 species. This is possibly Empis tesselata.
They are hunters that capture their prey with the sharp snout as you can see on the pictures. The males swarm in small groups (thats how they got the name) and each male holds a fly. If a female should fly by, the males offer their prey to her. She chooses the best prey and mates with the male while sucking the fly dry.
Information about th Read more:Macro
, couple
, eating
Photo from a warm day on the coast in northern Norway 2007-06-24 15:53:41
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on June 22nd 2007. Click image for larger view.
What beautiful and warm day here at the coast in northern Norway
. I really like it when it’s 20C and slightly overcast. Anything warmer get to hot for my arctic body
Here I’m crawling between pebbles trying to make a good composition at ground level while not getting too wet from water seeping in from the ocean. When I take pictures I always think “How can I make this scene/subject more interesting” thus I often find myself in back-breaking positions.
What are your opinions on this photo?
Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital single-lens reflex camera
Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/320)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 14 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Location: Laupstad, Andørja (Ibestad) in northern Norway
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Photo of a Norwegian fjord and mountain photographed from up in the mountains 2007-06-29 14:10:37
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on June 27th 2007. Click image for larger view.
Went for a walk a up in the mountains
and this is the view I got when I turned around. It was very steep so had a hard time standing and photographing.
The fjord is called “Vågsfjorden”. The mountain is called “Drangen” and is 1022 meters above the fjord.
Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital single-lens reflex camera
Exposure: 0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 14 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Location: Å, Andørja (Ibestad) in northern Norway
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, Norwegian
Photo of two cruise ships sailing the Norwegian coast 2007-07-03 18:04:24 Cruise ships
are a very common sight here in northern Norway, during the summer. Often you can see several cruise liners in the horizon.
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on June 29th 2007. Click image for larger view.
I really liked the clouds on this photo. Can’t be too bad being a tourist on that ship with a scenery like that.
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on June 29th 2007. Click image for larger view.
Liked the contrast between the two ships on this picture. They are both filled with tourists, but I think I would prefer to be in the small boat.
Recent years there has been an increasing number of fishing tourists coming here from Germany, Finland and Sweden. Hope they do not catch all my fish
Information about the pictures:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital single-lens reflex camera
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 40-150mm F3.5-4.5
Location: Laupstad, Andørja (Ibestad) in northern Norway
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, Norwegian
Photo of cows under snowy mountains - antique style 2007-07-02 18:01:24
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on June 19th 2007. Click image for larger view.
In this photo you can see some cows grazing under snowy mountains
. A scene like this is very national romantic here in Norway and thus I wanted to create an antique look in this photo.
Used some filters in light room and photoshop for the effects.
Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital single-lens reflex camera
Exposure: 0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro
Location: Ånstad, Andørja (Ibestad) in northern Norway
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Macro photo of common hawker dragonfly 2007-07-08 19:39:16 Was able to capture a dragonfly called Common Hawker (Aeshna juncea) when I was out walking in the forest. These insects are big (74 mm) and very camera shy so I had to try several times to get close enough.
It was very entertaining to observe them hunt in the air hunting moths. They have amazing flying capabilities!
First a close up photo of its “face”.
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on July 4th, 2007. Click image for larger view.
And here is a picture of the whole dragonfly.
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on July 4th, 2007. Click image for larger view.
Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro
Location: Ånstadbotn (Andørja), Troms in northern Norway
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Photo from a marsh filled with mist 2007-07-06 20:49:41
Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on July 4th 2007. Click image for larger view.
I was out walking in the nature and at midnight the sun disappeared behind some mountains. This mist started to form over the wetlands. It looked very ghostly and was a bit eerie, but at the same time very fascinating.
The tree is a small birch.
Have you ever experienced fog like this?
This photo got popular on Flickr and reached #79 on Flickr Explore 4th of July.
Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 150 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 40-150mm F3.5-4.5
Location: Ånstadbotn, Andørja (Ibestad) in northern Norway
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