Norway’s Underwater Atlantis

Lars Korvald is a full-time Norwegian travel photographer, which is not really something you’d expect from someone with a masters degree in underwater engineering. But when oil prices kept going down, it was very hard for the now 27-year-old to find a job, so he decided to give his passion – outdoor photography – a professional go. Because he also had years of experience as a scuba diving instructor at Norway’s Nemo Classic Diving, Korvald eventually started specializing in shooting in Norwegian waters. Resource Travel sat down with the man, asking him first and foremost if he considered himself to be more of a photographer or a videographer.

At first I considered myself to be a photographer. But in recent years, everybody knows how to handle a camera, and my photos no longer stood out in the same way as they did before. That’s when I started shifting towards video. After working with it for a while, I really started loving the combination of video, sound and speech to tell stories in the best possible way. Still, I really enjoy photography as well, and I love sharing my stories and adventures through social media.

One of Korvald’s first underwater works was this charming Lygnstøylsvatnet video, which he still considers to be his most interesting and unique films- and we agree. Lygnstøylsvatnet was born after a landslide closed off the river Lygna in 1908. Soon after, the water rose above the huts, stone fences, gates and the old road through the valley. Korvald knew about this mythical, Atlantis-like place since he was a child, and always wanted to check it out and document it as best as possible.

Since Lygnstøylsvatnet, I made many more underwater videos, such as “Freediving Træna” (several kilometers out in the Norwegian ocean), “Diving Hitra” and swimming through World War 2 Wrecks in “Diving Narvik“. I recently also started to learn how to use a drone and made this video after some aerial adventures through Norway’s beautiful landscapes.

How do you think living in Norway influences your work?

It gives me a lot of really great opportunities to explore wild and magnificent nature. There is so much to chose from, and so much beauty. The main motivation for my work is to make people aware of the opportunities, and come and experience it for them self. It makes me really glad to hear when people decide to go places after seeing my pictures or videos.

Any exciting new projects coming up?

I recently bought a Transporter van and converted it to a camper van together with my fiancee. In January, we are going to drive through Norway from north to south, visiting as many places as possible. If everything goes according to plan, I will visit the sailboat Barba in Tromsø again. I was lucky to sail almost the entire Norwegian coast this autumn, and we had the greatest time. It will be whale season in Norway, and really hope to see whales and orcas in underwater action in Tromsø.

Korvald an his fiancee are also currently developing this travel blog about Norway, trying to make it easier to visit Norway. Be sure to bookmark it, and show Korvald some love on Facebook and Instagram while you’re at it!