Cold Freezing Tour Through Oslo’s Fjord

I took this photograph aboard a ferry cutting through the Oslo fjord in winter. The cold was penetrating, the kind that seeps into bones despite layers of clothing. The passengers’ body language tells the story more effectively than words: one figure wrapped in a blanket, hands folded in stillness; the other with a camera resting idly on his lap, shoulders hunched, jeans stiffened by the chill.

Compositionally, I aimed for a low angle, using the perspective of the floor and the rug leading diagonally into the frame. This draws the eye directly toward the two figures without needing to show their full faces. The benches on either side narrow the space, creating both a sense of confinement and intimacy. The wooden textures and blankets amplify the contrast between harsh cold and fragile comfort.

Technically, I chose black and white to strip away distractions and focus on form, gesture, and texture. The exposure is slightly stark, with the whites of the blanket and floor pushed near their limit, but this brightness mirrors the glare of winter light reflecting off the water outside. Shadows fall heavily in the folds of the blanket and the jeans, giving depth where needed. Grain is present, but in this context it echoes the roughness of the moment rather than detracting from it.

What I find compelling here is the balance between documentary and mood. It is not an image of the fjord itself, but of its effect on those passing through it. Instead of grand landscapes, the photograph offers a quiet testimony of endurance, recorded in the small gestures of two travellers caught in the season’s grip.