Natural Beauty

Photographer Steve Biro Brings a
Sense of Wonder to Norway

Story by Michael Seguin
Photography by Steve Biro

After all these years, Steve Biro is still searching for the perfect shot.

“I got into photography 15 years ago,” Steve explains. “I started out in landscape shots. I moved over to wildlife photography, which is mainly what I do. But every now and then I enjoy traveling to new places where I can get some shots of beautiful landscapes and beautiful skies.”

And Steve’s eye for beauty cannot be denied. Browsing his portfolio is an arresting experience. Over the past decade, he’s captured some breathtaking shots. Foxes facing each other nose-to-nose. An eagle gliding over mirror-bright waters. A pride of lionesses lazing around a dead tree. A shimmering blue waterfall trickling down a ravine of greens and crimsons. The Ambassador Bridge framed against a glittering skyline of reds and oranges.

Whatever Steve photographs becomes sublime—at once familiar and strikingly unique.

“In photography, everything comes back to a sense of wonder,” Steve states. “It’s hard to describe! I try to shoot things in a new or a fresh way. It gets me excited! I try to see the world like a child.”

But Steve is being slightly deceptive here, and more than a little humble. When Steve takes his photos, he is searching for more than just beautiful moments. He has a preoccupation that bleeds through most of his work. It isn’t obvious at first, but these broader themes begin to reveal themselves over time. 

And they’re especially notable during his most recent expedition. In November of last year, Steve decided to take his camera across the Pond to Norway.

“Norway has been on my list for a while now,” Steve explains. “I’ve done several northern trips—I’ve been to Iceland five times, Alaska twice. I love these polar communities. I find them fascinating. They’re filled with such raw, natural beauty.”

Steve took a cruise along the coast during the first two weeks of November. During that time, he was able to capture the beauty of Norway with his characteristic sense of wonder.

Most significantly, he took a shot of the Northern Lights.

“I took that photo from the cruise ship,” Steve states. “I would normally set up a tripod to shoot the Northern Lights. But the tripod created problems on the ship. It gave me more shake than if I was holding it by hand. The shot in question in several seconds long, with a long exposure.”

And what a shot it turned out to be! Almost spectral green lights swirl about the clouds, towering over hunchbacked mountain ranges. Only the faintest suggestion of civilization tickles the horizon—their lights pitiful in comparison.  

“I thought it turned out quite nice!” Steve laughs. “I was able to get several shots of lights that aren’t visible to the human eye. But the camera picks them up beautifully! Seeing the Northern Lights is one of the main reasons I travel to the polar regions. It’s one of my favourite things to shoot.”

Steve has lost count of how many times he’s shot the Northern Lights. He first saw them years ago, during a trip to Fairbanks, Alaska. 

“They were really bright to the eye, almost dancing,” Steve recalls. “They were moving like something alive. For me, it’s about as close to a religious experience as it gets. It almost becomes difficult to focus on taking pictures because all you can do is stare. It’s really quite spectacular.”

But Steve didn’t just keep his camera trained on the skies. He also achieved several different beautiful landscape shots of the countryside around Norway. 

“I also got a picture of an old cabin,” Steve states. “That was also taken from the ship, in a fjord. It was around dusk. I really enjoy capturing architecture with nature in the background—especially when it’s colourful houses or lighthouses. I really appreciate capturing the smallness of man-made homes juxtaposed against the vastness of nature behind.”

And now Steve reveals the theme that pervades his work. The rustic cabin teeters on the edge of the shimmering lake, while skies and mountains crowd about the horizon. An aging lighthouse squats atop a frozen landscape. A pair of red boathouses cower beneath some frozen trees—becoming almost insignificant beneath the towering cliffs looming behind them.

“I love that diametric opposition,” Steve states.  

More than anything, Steve’s work captures the humility we all feel before a world that is so much larger than ourselves. 

But Steve doesn’t completely ignore habituated areas. In one of his most staggering shots from the trip, he manages a picture of a brightly lit village underneath more frosty peaks.

“It was a morning shot,” Steve states. “There wasn’t much light—some of the days are as short as two or three hours up there! But that means Golden Hour lasts for that whole time! I love to capture the ruggedness of the people that must survive in that environment. It’s very remote. They have to be quite self-sufficient. It’s amazing. I sometimes think, ‘I would love to live there!’ But there’s no way I could manage. I don’t think I’m made of stern enough stuff to live in a community at the bottom of the mountain. Everything needs to be delivered by boat or by plane.”

Despite the harshness of the surroundings, Steve has nothing but nice things to say about the locals.

“The Norwegians are wonderful people,” Steve states. “Everyone was so nice. Everyone was so helpful. Myself and the other passengers on the boat did a lot of hiking while we were there. The locals were so friendly along the way. They have beautiful dogs. They’re almost more of a natural people. Sometimes we’d see a single father or mother dragging their baby carriage up high in these mountains!”

Steve is currently grounded back in Windsor. But fortunately for the rest of us, we can rest easy knowing his camera will never wander too far from his eye. 

More of Steve’s sense of wonder can be appreciated at stevebirophotography.com.