Incredible pictures of northern Norway – the landscape that inspires fantasy

“This is one of the old Renndølsetra cabins in Innerdalen, captured in mid May just after the snowmelt,” says photographer Stian Klo. The Innerdalen valley, a beautiful alpine area traditionally used for dairy farming, was designated as Norway's first nature reserve in 1967.

Austnesfjorden in Lofoten in February, lit by the moon.

Shot from a drone on Christmas Eve, a birch forest in Harstad, Troms – fully covered in powder snow.

Icicles on a rorbu hut, Hamnøy, Lofoten, during winter. Stian Klo: “the old fisherman hamlets are spread out all over the archipelago.”

A view inside a glacier near Longyearbyen, Svalbard. The northern archipelago is the wildest and coldest outpost of Norway, approximately halfway between the northernmost tip of the mainland and the north pole.

The Eliassen Rorbuer cabins during a snowstorm.

The Lofoten archipelago: Kjerkfjorden and Sakrisøy, under the glow of the northern lights.

Ice on Storvatnet lake, close to Nusfjord, Lofoten – photographed after an extended cold and dry period in February.

Sunset overlooking the village of Mærvoll and the Steinsfjorden, Lofoten.

The sunlight brushes the tip of Otertinden mountain in Signaldalen.

Lamplit windows in the village of Ballstad, on the seaward tip of the Lofoten archipelago. It is one of the most active fishing villages in the region.

A drone captures the first rays of light on a winter morning near Narvik, close to the Swedish border.

Ice formations in a view towards the fishing village of Nusfjord from Flakstadpollen in winter.

The first glimpse of the rising sun in the rural recreation area of Folkeparken, Harstad - captured in early June.

A Eurasian lynx at the Polar Park Arctic Wildlife Centre, Bardu. With 11,000 square metres and 12 enclosures, the park claims to have one of the largest animal-to-area ratios in the world, and is designed to show native animals in their natural environments, such as bear, reindeer, wolf and lynx.

Photographer Stian Klo: "This very photogenic abandoned cabin is located right between Harstad and Borkenes in Kvæfjord, Troms.”

Norway isn't just about mountains and forests: there are beaches, too, though probably not the kind you'd want to sunbathe on – or at least not in winter. Stian Klo: “[This was] a magical February sunset overlooking the world renowned Vik beach in Lofoten.”

An autumn sunset and a famous aspect overlooking Reine, Lofoten.

“Unstad is a surfer's paradise in the Arctic,” says photographer Stian Klo.“This guy was enjoying the midnight sun, riding waves.”