#1 It's almost here...

On March 1st, 2026, I'll set off in my campervan for several weeks heading north. My approximate destination is Abisko (Sweden), Senja, and the Lofoten Islands (Norway). I'll be doing the entire trip in the Opel Crosscamp from fewolike.com . That's about 3500 km each way.

How did it come about that I'll now be joining the ranks of Hamnøy photographers? Let's take a look back: Yes, one gets older, and I'm now retired, so I don't have to work so hard to earn a living anymore. Of course, it's still nice to get commissions, although I've increasingly focused on selling image files or finished wall art. Every photographer who has turned their hobby into a profession knows how incomes have plummeted in the last three years. Only a few can still make a living from it and have to invest more and more time. I'm glad I don't have to anymore, but I'm equally glad to have experienced an era with the real breakthrough of digital photography. There was no sense of envy yet; people were still happy for each other's success, whether in sales or competitions. Or perhaps that's just how I perceived it? The big turning point came with Corona and shortly after with AI. How difficult it has become to distinguish a real photograph from an AI creation! I, too, have mistakenly labeled some photos as AI-generated when they were real photos. I recently saw my website's click-through rate statistics. Amazing! About eight years ago, they were around 200-300 clicks a day, and I was getting tons of inquiries! Today, the daily click-through rate is significantly lower. How did it come to this? It's actually quite simple. I no longer invest as much time in my website, and even larger sites like SRF (Swiss Radio and Television) are noticing the decline in visitors. A potential customer today uses AI when they want to find something out. Perhaps you've noticed that Google suggests AI-generated answers right at the top of your search results. So you don't even land on a website anymore. Why should I optimize my website and waste time on it when the solution is AI? But yes, about ten years ago, you could make money with your own photography website, but for most photographers, the effort was too much. This was my opportunity, and investing a lot of time here has more than paid off. Many photographers who once loudly proclaimed their supposedly unique talent have disappeared, or somehow stagnated because they couldn't come up with anything new. Anyone who could hold a camera reasonably straight offered photography workshops; today, there are probably more workshop leaders than customers. Only a handful of landscape photographers I know personally have survived in their profession to this day, some of them barely scraping by. But I truly hope that these few make it and can continue to live off photography tomorrow, especially with a family, as it's not easy. A few years ago, I decided to photograph only in Switzerland, preferably in the Basel region, at least until I retire. Okay, the Emmental was and still is always good for generating income... That was a good and cost-effective decision at the time. Back then, it was about effort versus return; today, things are a bit different. I haven't sold a single photo from the Dolomites. Yes, it's very, very beautiful there, but what Swiss person would hang something like that on their wall when the Matterhorn is practically on their doorstep? Practically no one, except perhaps the photographer. Which advertising agency in Switzerland is looking for a photo of the Watzmann? Probably none. And so, today I've gone from professional photographer to amateur photographer. I hardly ever use my camera anymore, but I use my drone all the more. I mainly take panoramas of the Basel region with it, and those are always popular.

I've digressed a bit, but things have been very quiet on my channel for the past few months. Actually, the far north was never really my dream destination. The northernmost place I'd ever consider vacationing was Gelterkinden, where I currently live. But the far north, where there's perpetual darkness? Never! But as is so often the case, things don't always go as planned... and so I found myself increasingly interested in the far north, influenced, of course, by the many photos I'd seen there. I visited countless websites and watched tons of YouTube videos. About three years ago, I published my first blog post about this planned trip to the north. Shortly after, I received a rather long and spiteful email from a photographer in central Switzerland, telling me to forget about it, otherwise hordes of photographers would descend on the north and there would be no peace and quiet. I didn't reply to that clown. So much for the aforementioned jealousy. But it's nice that he thinks I'm capable of something like that; I'm always amazed! Then came the rather sudden move, and the Norway project was put on hold. I decided at that time to buy all new furniture for the apartment, absolutely everything. A fresh start, then. After 26 years in Sissach, I'm back in Gelterkinden and live here with a fantastic view over my hometown.

But back to the planned trip up north. For a long time, I didn't know what I wanted to do to get there: bicycle or moped? Or barefoot? I don't think anyone's ever done that before? Of course not! Although this year I've taken up a new hobby, or rather, revived one: a moped from 1972, a real classic. A Pony Cross 503 S. My dream moped when I was 12. I tinker with it in my garage, optimizing it so it can climb the hills properly... I'll even take it to a few moped rallies next year. They're really becoming popular and each attracts several hundred moped enthusiasts.

My Pony Cross with a witch's nose light at the back and an egg-shaped light at the front... interesting terms have developed over the last 50 years...

Today, the pony stands peacefully next to Scotty in the garage, waiting for spring... It quickly became clear that I needed a campervan, but the initial enthusiasm was quickly dampened. During the Corona pandemic, campervan prices skyrocketed. I definitely didn't want a VW T4 with 500,000 km and a sluggish 65 hp for 25,000 CHF. Nor did I want a large motorhome (alcove model). With these big campers, you're mostly confined to campsites, and they're all full of retirees and their pugs with pink collars or some other mixed-breed dogs, who down one or more bottles of Kalterer wine in the evening or even for breakfast... That's my idea, anyway. It's definitely not for me. But fine, if that's what you like. When it became clear that I was moving back to Gelterkinden, a decision had to be made. My little sporty Renault Clio wasn't up to the task of the move; I needed something bigger. But a tradesman's van? That seemed excessive to me. And since the Norway trip was put on hold for the time being, I started looking for a high-roof van! I found one in almost new condition: a Dacia Dokker. It was and is ideal for transporting the new furniture; my moped and e-mountain bike also fit perfectly, and it's also perfect for a few nights of wild camping. So-called stealth camping.

In the meantime, I also have an external parking heater, which recently proved its worth during an overnight trip to the Emmental region in temperatures around freezing.

Ah yes, the Emmental region. Just a few days ago, it was five years since a photograph caused a worldwide sensation: the linden tree in front of the Schreckhorn mountain. Even today, people still ask me about it whenever I'm out taking photos.

I've seen many versions of it, with a narrow strip of land below and a bland sky above. With a blown-out sky, or the spring version. Yes, one guy even went there in the middle of summer, hoping to take the photo of a lifetime!

For all non-photographers: in summer the humidity is far too high; you can't see the Schreckhorn. There's only one perfect version, the one above. The photo keeps popping up in different variations on social media; practically every day I see it in an Instagram post. Meanwhile, a location further down the mountain has been found, apparently more tolerable for the farm's inhabitants—one can only hope so. But I haven't been back there since November 21, 2020.

The photo above shows that the Schreckhorn linden tree is still lucrative. Here, the linden tree has been mounted in a light box and integrated into the internal home entertainment system. Naturally, this is in the Emmental region. But I also have a canvas print of the linden tree in the Emmental hanging in my office.

I'm getting off-topic again, but I hope you... uh... you can forgive me; it's only my second blog post this year. And there won't be many more. The high-roof van solution is perfect for me; I can drive around Switzerland for a few days and have an ideal place to sleep almost anywhere. The bed is 185cm long, which is plenty big enough for me. But it's not suitable for a multi-week trip to the far north. I needed something more comfortable. When I revisited the topic this summer, it quickly became clear that I would rent a campervan for the time being. A few weeks ago, I came across Ronny's offer for his Opel Crosscamp. It's exactly what I'm looking for, and most importantly, it's affordable. I quickly got in touch and accepted the offer.

I'll be traveling through the far north for several weeks in this Opel Crosscamp. I'll be writing lots of blog posts about my trip, and I'd be delighted if you subscribed to my blog or newsletter. You can find the link at the very bottom of my page!

To develop photos, write blog posts, or edit videos, I need a sturdy table and comfortable seating. A parking heater is also essential, as is a cooler. All of this is provided in the Opel Crosscamp.

Why did I choose March for this trip? I followed the recommendation of the website nordlandblog , as well as a YouTuber who went to the North Cape in March. December and January aren't an option for me; the long nights would wear me down, and I'd probably give up. But I don't know for sure. Summer was also an option, but the Lofoten Islands are so incredibly crowded in July and August! I can get stuck in traffic and crowds in the Basel region too! No, I quickly settled on late winter, especially since the days and nights are already the same length again then. And of course, the Northern Lights—I hope I see them; if not, it's not the end of the world, I'm not going there specifically for that. If you happen to be in the Lofoten Islands from around March 8th onwards, let me know, and I'll treat you to a coffee from my capsule machine in my cozy home on four wheels. But for now, I wish you a Merry Christmas with your loved ones and, of course, lots of presents! Thanks for sticking with me this far! From March 2026 onwards, you can read and see the latest water level reports from the far north here almost daily!