The best time for a photoshoot in Norway: a month-by-month guide

For green fjords, open mountain roads and long, soft evenings, come between June and August. For the same landscapes with fewer people and the first autumn colour, aim for late August to mid-September. For snow and the northern lights, come to the Arctic between December and March, or in September and October if you want the aurora reflected in open water.

The months to handle with care are November and the shoulder weeks of April and early May. In the south, November is often grey, wet and short of daylight, and the mountain roads have closed for the winter. In late spring the high roads are still shut and the snow is melting into slush. Cities work well all year, but check every road and boat before you build a fjord plan around it.

The single biggest difference between a Norwegian shoot and one further south is how much the daylight changes through the year, and how much it changes as you travel north.

In the south (Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger, Kristiansand), the sun never quite disappears for long in midsummer and never climbs high in midwinter. Around midsummer it sets late in the evening and the sky stays light all night. Around midwinter it sets in mid-afternoon. Golden hour in summer lasts a long time, because the sun sinks at a shallow angle; you can photograph for two hours in soft, warm light.

In the Arctic (Tromsø, Lofoten), the extremes are absolute. Tromsø has the midnight sun from roughly late May to late July, when the sun does not set at all, and the polar night from roughly late November to mid-January, when it does not rise. Lofoten lies a little further south, so its midnight sun period is slightly shorter, and around midwinter the sun only just reaches the horizon, if it is not hidden by the mountains.

Approximate sunset times for the middle of each month are below. They are astronomical times for flat ground; in a fjord or a deep valley the sun drops behind the mountains much earlier, and the photographer plans around that.

Bergen, further west, sees the sun set roughly 20 minutes later than Oslo on the clock. Trondheim, further north, has longer summer evenings and shorter winter afternoons. Blue hour, the deep blue light after sunset, lasts far longer in Norway than in southern Europe, and in the Arctic winter it fills the middle of the day.

Summer is the season of long evenings and open roads. Everything is reachable, boats run on full timetables and the grass on the fjord farms is at its greenest.

• Light. Very long golden hours, and in the north the midnight sun. A couple session on a Lofoten beach at 23:00 in warm, low light is entirely normal in June. In the south, a sunset session in late June starts after 21:00.
• Weather. Usually the warmest and most settled months, but the west coast still sees plenty of rain, and the weather can change within an hour in the mountains.
• Crowds. Peak season. Cruise ships call at Geiranger, Flåm, Ålesund and Bergen through the summer, and the famous viewpoints are busiest from late morning to late afternoon. Preikestolen can be very crowded at midday.
• Best for. Fjord sessions, Preikestolen at sunrise or in the evening, the midnight sun in the north, and long couple photoshoots with sunset and blue hour.

Tip: in midsummer, plan sessions early in the morning or late in the evening. The light is better, the coaches have gone, and the photographs look as if you had the country to yourselves.

Autumn arrives in the north first. The birch woods around Tromsø turn gold from late August or early September, the fjords follow during September, and in the south the colour peaks around late September to mid-October.

• September. For many photographers the finest month. The crowds thin after the school holidays, the light is warm and low, the high roads are usually still open in the first half of the month, and the aurora season in the north is under way, with lakes and fjords still unfrozen for reflections.
• October. Shorter days, stronger colour in the south and more changeable weather. Some mountain roads close as the first snow arrives. Dark evenings mean aurora sessions in Tromsø can start early.
• November. The quietest and often the greyest month in the south, with short days and frequent rain in Bergen. In the Arctic the days shorten fast, and by the end of the month Tromsø enters the polar night. City sessions work; fjord plans need flexibility.

Autumn is also a good time for family sessions: the light is softer than in summer, and the afternoon golden hour comes before small children need dinner.

Winter is two different seasons depending on where you are.

In the Arctic, it is the high season for photography. Snow covers the mountains and the shore, the polar night gives several hours of deep blue and pink twilight around midday, and the nights are long enough for the aurora from early evening. From late January the sun returns to Tromsø, and February brings low golden light that lasts for hours. It is cold, particularly inland, but the coast is milder than many people expect. A northern lights photoshoot in Tromsø or Lofoten is the reason most couples come north in these months.

In the south, winter is short of daylight. Oslo often has snow, though not every winter and not always for long; the forest above the city around Holmenkollen holds it more reliably. Bergen and the west coast are more likely to have rain than snow at sea level. The fjord villages are quiet, some hotels close and boats run reduced timetables. A Christmas session among the lights and wooden houses of the cities can be lovely, but plan it for the middle of the day.

Holiday weeks around Christmas and New Year fill quickly in Tromsø. If you want a particular night, ask early.

Spring in Norway is a season of contrasts: deep snow in the north, melting slush in the mountains and blossom in the south.

• March. Often the most settled month in the Arctic, with deep snow, long days and still dark enough nights for the aurora. A good choice if you want both daylight portraits in snow and an aurora evening on the same trip.
• April. The aurora season ends around mid-April in Tromsø as the nights become too bright. In the south, the snow retreats from the lowlands and the first green appears. Easter is a busy holiday in the mountains. The high roads are still closed.
• May. The south turns green, fruit trees blossom along the Hardangerfjord, and waterfalls swell with meltwater. On 17 May, Constitution Day, the cities fill with parades, flags and people in their bunad, the regional national costume. It is colourful and joyful, but busy; plan any city session around the parade routes. In the north, the midnight sun begins around the third week of the month.

Late May to early June is also when the fjord waterfalls are at their fullest, which makes it a good window for Geiranger and Flåm before the peak summer crowds.

Several of the most photographed roads in Norway are only open for part of the year, and the dates depend on how much snow fell over the winter.

• Trollstigen, the hairpin road between Åndalsnes and Valldal, usually opens in late May or early June and closes again in autumn, when snow arrives.
• The mountain roads above Geiranger, including the road over to Grotli and the toll road to the Dalsnibba viewpoint, usually open around late May or June and close in autumn.
• Aurlandsvegen, the "Snow Road" over the mountain from Aurland towards Lærdal, is closed in winter; the lower part up to the Stegastein viewpoint is usually kept open longer.

Always check the current status with the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens vegvesen) before you plan a session around one of these roads. Opening dates move from year to year.

Fjord cruise season brings the largest crowds. Large cruise ships call at Geiranger, Flåm, Ålesund and Bergen mainly from late spring to early autumn, and on those days viewpoints such as Flydalsjuvet and Stegastein, and the waterfront in Bergen, can be crowded from late morning. The ports publish their cruise calendars; a session early in the morning or in the evening avoids the busiest hours. Our ranked guide to proposal locations notes the quietest hour at each spot.

Bergen is one of the wettest cities in Europe, with well over 2,000 millimetres of rain in a typical year spread across every month. Autumn and early winter tend to be the wettest; late spring and early summer are usually the driest, though nothing is certain.

For photographs, rain is less of a problem than you might think. Wet cobblestones reflect the colours of Bryggen, low cloud drifts through the forest on Mount Fløyen, and a clear-plastic umbrella makes a charming prop. The photographer will know covered spots in the old town and in Bryggen’s wooden passages for a heavy shower.

The practical rules:

1. Keep the date flexible if you can, by a day or by a few hours. Showers often come and go.
2. Pack a light rain layer that does not dominate the pictures, and shoes that cope with wet stone.
3. Agree the weather plan in advance. What happens if the session has to move is set out in your proposal.

For Bergen in particular, our Bergen photoshoot guide covers rainy-day spots in detail.

A simple way to decide:

1. Pick the look first. Midnight sun, aurora and snow, green fjords, or autumn colour.
2. Match it to a region. The Arctic for the midnight sun and the aurora; the fjords for summer green and waterfalls; the cities for any time of year.
3. Check what is open. Mountain roads, boats and hotels in the fjord villages follow the season.
4. Choose the hour. Early morning for quiet viewpoints, evening for golden light in summer, midday for the blue twilight of the Arctic winter, night for the aurora.

When you send a free availability request, tell us your travel dates and the places on your route. The photographer you are matched with will suggest the best day and hour for the light, and send a proposal with the plan and the price. Starting prices for every session type are in our guide to photographer prices in Norway.