Mads Nordsveen (awesome name) is an experienced travel photographer who lives in Oslo, Norway. Nordsveen has seen his fair share of natural wonders, but one day he spotted something that took his breath away. Last December, while out on a hike with some friends on the northern Norwegian island of Senja, Nordsveen came across something moving in the snow that stopped him right in his tracks. The 24-year-old told Caters News: “I was walking in the mountains looking for nice landscapes for my travel photography when out of nowhere, I saw this adorable animal.” He first noticed the creature’s antlers and dark eyes — were it not for those features he might not have ever noticed the animal up ahead.
Just off to the side stood a brown reindeer, which is relatively common in that area. He assumed that it must have been the mom of this incredibly rare snow-white reindeer. “The calf seemed a bit scared at first, but we sat completely quiet and were very calm, and eventually it came quite close,” Nordsveen told The Washington Post. Indeed, it is not every day that someone encounters a white reindeer, although after Nordsveen’s incredible photos went viral, folks started sharing their own pictures of white reindeer. Many of these pictures were taken during the summer months when the animals are more out and about.
Source: madsnodsveen.com
And while a lot of folks think that these are albino reindeer, true albinos also lack pigment in their eyes as well. As a result, such creatures tend not to thrive because of their sensitivity to light.
Source: Kaisa Siren/Visit Finland via BBC
Nordsveen also said that white reindeer are thought to be good luck by the indigenous Sami people of northern Norway and will bring happiness into the life of anyone who sees them.
Source: @mads/Instagram
This one also happened to be incredibly friendly and curious, which made him one very photogenic calf. In fact, he stood around and allowed Nordsveen to snap several photos for about 5 minutes before running back to his mom and disappearing into the woods.
“He came very close to me and we looked at each other straight in the eyes,” he said of the encounter.
Source: @mads/Instagram
He described the experience as a “fairy tale moment” and was able to get some adorable and stunning photos.
“He was quite relaxed when he saw that I was calm and friendly. It was almost as if he posed for the camera…He was very curious and fun. Like a little explorer.”
Source: @mads/Instagram
The photographer also couldn’t believe his incredible luck, especially since most of his photoshoots are planned much farther in advance.
“Before trips, I do quite a lot of research to find the best locations and views,” he told ABC News. “However, you cannot plan magical moments like the reindeer photos.”
Source: @mads/Instagram
He posted the photos on December 8, 2018, and so far, they’ve earned 59,000 likes on Nordsveen’s Instagram account by itself. They’ve also been shared and liked on dozens of web sites.
“I am very pleased with the reaction,” he said. “[They are] some very special photos but I did not think it would blow up worldwide like this!”
Source: @mads/Instagram
Nordsveen’s Instagram page is a buffet for the eyes, so we’re glad to see that his good luck has brought more attention to his fantastic photography.
Here’s a video on Nordsveen’s once-in-a-lifetime photo shoot.
Source: Ron Project