Thursday, 16th July 2009
Sankthans in Mandal
by Kanelstrand
On June 23rd Norway celebrates Sankthans - a mysterious, magical night in Norway: the longest day of the year, when in many parts of the country the sun doesn't set, and the coast is lit everywhere with huge bonfires that can be seen from far out at sea.
All along the coast in the south of the country, friends and family gather around huge bonfires, grilling and drinking, swimming in the sea and drying on land. Others set forth in boats, anchoring on little islands and setting up their own bonfires, which complement the beacons along the coast.
Kanelstrand
Website: Photos
Sankthans in Mandal by Kanelstrand was photo of the day on Thursday, 16th July 2009. It is tagged Boats, Motion, Night. You can leave a comment below.
17 Comments
pawl
so i could go on about specifics about this photo and lighing and colour and all but simply put, this photo is stunning.
Katherine Lee Strassburg
I have read of this event, but yours is the first photo I’ve seen. The contrasting warm pink of the sky and the cool blue of the rocks seem to meet and blend in the water. Your choice of diagonal composition and long exposure add wonderful movement, pulling the viewer into the scene. Thanks for sharing such a magical moment!
Anurag
That’s a magical shot, such shots are the reason why I come to the site everyday.
su
Thank you for the history behind the shot, its fasinating. Love the colours.
Pauline Jones
This must be an amazing sight; thanks for sharing.
Malta Photography
Very nice action shot indeed. Although most of it is blurred it gives a very good sensation of movement.
venus
Nice colours and framing, I like the curves/lines. thanks for the info, would never have known about it otherwise. Must be an amazing time and place to be, would love to visit their festivities someday.
Renee
Very neat shot well done!
Kirk Jordan
Splendid, I have seen lots of blurry cars in my life, but this must be a really long exposure to capture that kind of blur with river traffic. Magical.
Mesquite
Great story, sounds fun. Nice shot, but I only see one bon fire in the picture. I would love to see a picture of the coast with many bon fires.
Marie Dunphy Harding
Quite the display from wherever you’re situated! Lucky !
mike
The sky color is incredible.
Julianne Richman
An amazing sight. Thanks for sharing the story. The contrasting colours are quite beautiful.
kanelstrand
Hello all,
thank you for all your comments!
Just some notes:
@ Kirk Jordan
“Splendid, I have seen lots of blurry cars in my life, but this must be a really long exposure to capture that kind of blur with river traffic. Magical.”
This is not a river, it is the sea and the picture is taken from a bridge joining the mainland with an island.
@Mesquite
“Great story, sounds fun. Nice shot, but I only see one bon fire in the picture. I would love to see a picture of the coast with many bon fires.”
There are two bonfires in this shot, actually. The one is easy to see but the other is on the really small island close to the upper brim of the photo. More photos:
here,
here, and
here
Rajib Singha
Simply magic!
Renee
pretty, pretty, pretty
Su
Lovely shot and social input as well, lovely.