Nikon School Adventures: Kingdom of the Musk Ox (Winter)

Course Contents

This Nikon School Adventure is for photographers who want to experience and photograph prehistoric looking Musk Ox roaming in the natural habitat of the snow covered Norwegian mountains. This workshop is a true expedition as we will be hiking in to the mountains with snowshoes 

Over the course of this immersive workshop, we will be guided into the mountains by an experienced local tracker who knows how to safely and respectfully approach these incredible animals in their natural habitat. Along the way, you’ll receive expert photography tuition from Renato https://www.renatogranieri.com... ,supported by Nikon School, who will be available to answer questions, share techniques, to ensure you came away with incredible images.

This is more than just a photography trip — it’s a full expedition. Each day will involve hiking into the mountainous terrain of Dovrefjell, tracking the Musk Ox, and making the most of the light, weather, and opportunities nature presents. Safety is always our priority, and our local guide is well-versed in both the terrain and the behaviour of the wildlife.

With a group size limited to just six participants, you’ll receive plenty of individual attention and support throughout the experience. In addition to photographing Musk Ox, you’ll have chances to capture waterfalls, forest scenes, and sweeping mountain vistas, and if we’re lucky, we may even encounter other native wildlife that inhabit the national park or the Aurora Borealis.

Please be aware that the itinerary is highly weather-dependent. The conditions in Dovrefjell can shift rapidly, offering both spectacular light and challenging weather. We will adjust our plans each day to ensure we make the most of what the landscape has to offer, while staying safe and comfortable throughout.

Dovrefjell has the only wild herd of Musk Ox in Norway and when trekking into their domain we will proceed with great care and respect for the wildlife that have their habitats in the mountains. With the help of our experienced guide we aim to get as close as we can without disturbing these shaggy survivors of the Ice Age. 

Proposed Workshop Outline (weather dependent)

The adventure begins on the 12th March, when you arrive at Trondheim Airport. From there, we’ll take a scenic and sustainable train journey to the mountain town of Oppdal — a ride of about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Our hotel is conveniently located just a few steps from the train station. After checking in, you’ll have some free time to explore the town or pick up any last-minute supplies. That evening, we’ll gather for a relaxed group dinner at a local restaurant with your fellow delegates and take part in an informal briefing about the workshop, including gear setup, field techniques, and what to expect on the workshop.

On the 13th March, after breakfast, we’ll set out early. Our guide will drive us to the entrance of Dovrefjell National Park, where we’ll begin our first full day. After a safety and fieldcraft briefing, we’ll begin hiking into the mountains in search of Musk Ox. We’ll take breaks as needed, but the priority will be to find and photograph these majestic animals. Once located, we’ll discuss the best camera settings for the lighting conditions, how to approach without disturbing them, and techniques for composing powerful wildlife images. By late afternoon, we’ll return to the hotel, giving you time to relax, back up your memory cards, and recharge before heading out for dinner to reflect on our days adventures.

The 14th March offers a slightly more relaxed pace. After a later breakfast, we’ll hold a quick editing and image review session at the hotel, giving everyone a chance to reflect on their work so far, ask questions, and learn from each other. We’ll then head out to explore more of the national park by minivan, focusing on photographing landscapes, forests, and waterfalls. After a local lunch, we’ll continue shooting until early evening, before heading back to the hotel and out for another group dinner.

On the 15th, we return to the mountains for another full day tracking and photographing the Musk Ox. We’ll follow a similar structure to our first, hiking with our guide, searching for wildlife, and spending time photographing these remarkable creatures in varied light and terrain. By now, you’ll have gained confidence both in fieldcraft and technical skills, and we’ll aim to build on your existing shots with even more dynamic and intimate compositions. After descending the mountain in the afternoon, you’ll have some time to unwind or review your images before dinner.

Our final day, the 16th March, begins with breakfast and one last editing and review session. This is a chance to ask final questions, share your favourite images, and receive feedback from the instructors. After packing up, we’ll catch the train back to Trondheim Airport where we say our goodbyes and begin the journey home, bringing with us unforgettable memories and a stunning portfolio of images.

Reserve Your Place

Spaces are strictly limited to six participants to ensure a high-quality, personalised experience. Early booking is highly recommended.

If you're ready for an extraordinary journey into Norway’s wild mountains, this Winter Musk Ox photography expedition promises adventure, inspiration, and the chance to create images that few others will ever capture.

Please e-mail us at Nikon School to reserve your space on this amazing photography adventure. To secure your place, a non refundable deposit of £1000 is payable. The balance for the workshop due around 3 months prior to the workshop starting. Alternatively you can book and pay the the entire workshop online.

Further joining instructions will be sent out closer to the workshop as well as an invite to an online Zoom briefing prior to the workshop starting.

Important Notes

This workshop involves high physical activity. You should be comfortable hiking several hours per day in mountainous terrain, often on uneven ground. Winter weather conditions in Dovrefjell can vary dramatically, so appropriate clothing, footwear, and preparation are essential. The day to day itinerary is highly weather-dependent. The weather conditions in Dovrefjell can be spectacular but also unpredictable. We will adjust our daily plans accordingly to make the most of the light, scenery, and conditions available to us.

The trip is designed for photographers using any camera system, but Nikon users will especially benefit from hands-on support from Nikon School instructors. Whether you're an advanced enthusiast or a seasoned professional, this expedition will give you the opportunity to sharpen your skills and deepen your connection with nature.

This is a Photographic workshop and will we prioritise the opportunity for you to shoot great images above everything. We will plan each day around the weather and light, which means that meal times may be at non standard times and we may start the the day very early and be out until late in the evening if the light and weather permits.

Transport:

Flights & Trains

Arrival date 12th March 2027 at Trondheim Airport, Norway.

Depart date 16th March 2027 from Trondheim Airport, Norway.

Delegates are responsible for their flights to and from Trondheim, Norway and return train ticket from Trondheim to Oppdal.

Train tickets can be purchased here www.entur.no

PLEASE DO NOT BOOK YOUR FLIGHTS OR TRAIN TICKETS UNTIL WE CONFIRM THAT THE WORKSHOP HAS MET THE MINIMUM DELEGATE NUMBERS TO PROCEED.

Once we are in Oppdal, transport to and from the National Park will be by minivan and is included in the workshop.

Meals:

Lunches and dinners, snacks and refreshments / alcoholic drinks are NOT included in the workshop cost. Around Oppdal there are several restaurants and cafes that we will use for lunch and dinner. When we are in the mountains, we suggest you purchase you own lunch, snacks and refreshments from the supermarkets in Oppdal. Breakfast at the hotel is included each day. Should you have any dietary requirements please advise us accordingly prior to the workshop. It is highly recommended to bring energy bars and snacks into the mountains. 

Fitness:

This workshop requires a very high level of physical fitness as you may be standing or kneeling with your
camera for extended periods of time in very cold conditions. We will be using snowshoes (provided) to reach the Musk Ox and this can be a challenging walk potentially in deep snow on steep terrain. Please advise us before you book about any medical conditions you may have which may impact your participation in the workshop or may affect the other delegates on the workshop. On arrival at the hotel, the guides will decide on your fitness level and suitability to hike into the mountains for this part of the workshop.

Weather:

The weather can be mild or it can be extreme. While we will do our best to follow our planned route and itinerary we
will always put safety first and only travel or visit locations if it is safe to do so. Please bring suitable clothing and footwear for cold temperatures. We will cover this in more detail in the joining instructions and pre workshop Zoom call. The temperature will probably be around -15 on day time and around -20 at night time. These mountains are known for the strong winds which suddenly can pick up and disappear again. This means that the weather can changes rapidly from hour to hour. There is a chance that we will experience blizzard conditions so before we head out with our mountain guide we will give a full safety briefing to prepare you for this adventure.

Clothing:

Please bring appropriate clothing with you such as a a polar or arctic rated windproof and waterproof jacket and trousers. A layered approach to clothing i.e base thermal layer, mid layer / fleece then over jacket is the best approach as we are at altitude even on a bright sunny day. Hats and gloves are useful as are appropriate walking boots. Ground mats and knee pads are optional accessories that can be used to make the mountain photography more comfortable.

Accommodation:

All rooms in the hotel are single occupancy, good sized rooms usually with a twin or double bed and all have private bathrooms. 

Photography Tuition:

While on the workshop Renato and Nikon School will show you how to get the best from your Nikon camera and lenses as well a guide your thinking to the best compositions to ensure you get amazing images. Alongside our guides we will also show you the fieldcraft skills needed to get close to the Musk Ox but at the same time being respectful and not impacting their natural behaviour. If needed we can also cover the best settings for landscape and astro photography as well as how to get front to back sharpness in your wildlife / landscape images and creative techniques such as shooting at slow shutter speeds, intentional camera movement (ICM) and shooting multiple exposures.

Photography Knowledge & Camera Kit:

To get the most from this workshop, you should have a good understanding of your camera and it's focusing modes and recommended that you are familiar with manual mode, ISO, aperture, shutter speed and some basic knowledge of wildlife / landscape photography. For the workshop, it's suggested that you bring: 

A Mid range or high spec DSLR or Mirrorless camera plus second camera body if you have one; Multiple Batteries; Memory cards; Waterproof cover for camera and lenses; Study Tripod for Landscape / Video work (not a travel tripod); Monopods can be useful if you are using long lenses.

Lenses:

For wildlife photography aspects of this course, lenses such as 180-600mm, 600mm or 800mm are ideal. Teleconverters can also be useful to extend your reach. Although this is primarily a wildlife workshop, lenses such as the 14-30mm, 14-24mm are ideal as are 24-70mm or the 24-120mm. A 70-200mm or 100-400mm could also be useful in certain locations. If you have ND and Grad Filters these will also be useful to help you achieve creative landscape images.

Joining Instructions

We will provide further information in the joining instructions sent out closer to the workshop. We will also host a Zoom pre briefing meeting a couple of months before the workshop.

In the meantime, you have any questions about this workshop, feel free to get in touch at [email protected]