About Ole Henrik Skjelstad

Ole Henrik Skjelstad is a Norwegian math teacher and landscape photographer who fell in love with photography after receiving his first camera as a birthday present in 2013. You can follow his work on 500px, IG and Flickr.

How to shoot and stitch a Milky Way panorama in Lightroom

March 28, 2020 by Ole Henrik Skjelstad 1 Comment

In this article, I will share how I shot a Milky Way panorama, and how I later stitched the images in Lightroom. But, first some background.

Last summer we spent our vacation in Tuscany, Italy. Spending almost a week on a wine farm in Italy didn’t create any standing ovations initially. Then it struck me that the Milky Way season had just started in southern Europe. Once this was established, I started envisioning how cool it would be to shoot the Milky Way core, and perhaps even a few panoramas. My only concern was light pollution. Would it be possible to capture what I envisioned at the location we stayed at, or would I have to spend hours in a car to find a decent spot?

It turned out that this small wine farm where we stayed, just outside Castellina in Chianti, was perfect. On our second evening, I headed out when it was dark enough for night photography.

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Nisi unveils the cutest filter system for the Fuji X100 system

March 26, 2020 by Ole Henrik Skjelstad Leave a Comment

Chinese filter manufacturer Nisi just unveiled a UV-filter and filter system for the Fuji X100V. The filter system is compatible with Fuji X100V/X100F/X100T/X100S/X100.

The UV filter protects against ultraviolet light, and it is a screw-on system produced in silver or black connecting with the camera’s color theme.

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The fun of shooting 11mm on a full frame camera

March 21, 2020 by Ole Henrik Skjelstad 7 Comments

I didn’t buy the Irix Blackstone 11mm f/4 because of its optical qualities even though they are more than satisfactory. Truth be told, I wanted to experience what it would be like to shoot ultra wide-angle (UWA) for the sheer fun of it.

There are plenty of reviews for this lens, so this article has a different aim. I will share some images and a few words on how it feels to use the lens. In addition, I will mention a few ideas on how to take advantage of the wide-angle distortion.

Even though this is a rectilinear lens there will be distortions. An UWA lens will stretch the edges, and it will diminish objects in the middle of the frame.

The Irix’ maximum angle of view is a whopping 126 degrees, so you have to be careful how you place both your and your tripod’s feet.

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This is why shooting in RAW is closer to what we see with our eyes

March 21, 2020 by Ole Henrik Skjelstad 9 Comments

When I received my first camera I only shot jpegs. That was all I knew. A few months later a friend of our daughter came for a visit. She told me that it would be an idea if I started to shoot in RAW. I was like: “Say it again….what?” My ignorance was almost tangible. However, I took the challenge and have never looked back. Little did I know that my yes would start a life long learning and cost me a small fortune in editing software.

I soon discovered why RAW files are superior to jpegs, and in this brief article, we will have a closer look at one of the advantages of switching to RAW format. For landscape photography in particular switching to RAW has huge advantages.

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Photographer captures ethereal photos of cormorants in the Antarctic

March 17, 2020 by Ole Henrik Skjelstad 1 Comment

Ole Jørgen Liodden* is one of Norway’s most renowned wildlife photographers. His work is recognized internationally, and he has written several books about wildlife and nature photography. It was during a photo expedition to the Antarctic in 2017 that he captured some stunning images of cormorants.

Before the trip, Ole Jørgen had developed a pole cam system to photograph underwater and water-splits (over/under water) from a zodiac boat. He constructed the system in such a fashion that he could use live-view to compose the shots. All images are shot with the Nikon D5, and for the majority of the split photos, he used the Nikkor 85mm f/1.4. When Ole Jørgen needed a wider perspective he used the Nikkor 20mm f/1.8.

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Photographer shoots five cheetahs crossing a river packed with crocodiles

March 15, 2020 by Ole Henrik Skjelstad 2 Comments

Arnfinn Johansen is a Norwegian nature photographer whose wildlife images have earned him international awards and recognition. When he and his group were exploring the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya they discovered a cheetah family along the river banks. It consisted of five brothers.

The cheetahs seemed determined to cross the river which at this time of the year carried a lot of water. The current was strong.

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Singer captures gorgeous images of the northern lights

March 12, 2020 by Ole Henrik Skjelstad Leave a Comment

Frøydis Dahlheim is a trained singer and teaches singing in an arts school. In addition, she sells images and works part time as a photo guide. It was actually by accident she became a photographer back in 2014. She had signed up for three painting classes, but picked up a camera instead when the organizers cancelled the courses. Later, she was introduced to Instagram and she intuitively understood that this was a media where she could express herself creatively.

She tells DIYP, “I have always been fascinated by the northern lights, and the desire to capture this phenomena moved me to purchase my first real camera.”

She now uses the Canon 5D Mark IV and the Canon 16-35mm for night photography. The aurora season lasts from the end of August to the beginning of April in the northern parts of Norway, she informs us.

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This free web sharpening script will give you perfect results

March 10, 2020 by Ole Henrik Skjelstad 4 Comments

Greg Benz, who is the developer of Lumenzia, has now produced a web sharpening script which is very simple to use, and it gives some very good results. I got an early release of the script and played with it to see how it performs.

I have a very simple approach to web sharpening, Lightroom’s built in sharpening feature always has been my go-to option. There are several web sharpening scripts out there, but I have never bothered. However, Greg pushed me out of my comfort zone.

Here is the download link in case you want to try it. It’s free to use.

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This Norwegian forest cat has a bigger Instagram following than you

March 10, 2020 by Ole Henrik Skjelstad 17 Comments

The Norwegian forest cat, Pepper, and his two “siblings” have grown a very decent following on Instagram. It was in 2018 that Camilla and her boyfriend, Sondre, saw the charming kitten online. They couldn’t resist the long-haired charming Pepper. The couple named him after one of their favorite bands, Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Both Camilla and Sondre have daytime jobs. Noticing that Pepper was bored when he was left alone at home, they brought a second cat to the household. Not surprisingly, they named her Chili. Eventually, Camilla and Sondre got a third cat. The couple didn’t name Limo after the band like the other two, but a hot chili pepper; Lemon Drop, Limo for short.

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Photographer captures the world’s worst ravaging fires

March 8, 2020 by Ole Henrik Skjelstad 3 Comments

Noah Berger has captured more than 100 of the world’s worst wildfires working as a news photographer for more than 25 years. It was in 2013 during the Rim Fire near Yosemite that he discovered his talent and affection for wildfires. The disasters he photographs have caused tremendous damage to nature and properties. They also won his team a finalist slot on the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photography.

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