Rainbow Bridge

While setting the exposure for the sunset over the vista, I kept watching the environment, waiting for a moment that may not come. Rain soaking through my hat, and shirt, cool breeze presenting an unseasonable chill. Finally, as I waited, the sun broke through the clouds as it began to set, illumination lighting the scene behind me. There it was, slowly forming as the rain picked up just a bit, the suns rays burning brighter over the scene. The rainbow bridging the landscape from one side to the other, completing my trip for the day. The light would continue to evolve, but, for me, the day was done.

Rainbows are not really rare, but they can be difficult to capture, this particular one started as a dual tone red and green rainbow just visible in the valley. Obviously it evolved into the full arch, and I was excited to have a chance to capture it, but it wasn’t easy, and i wasn’t prepared. I wanted to have my CPL on in the event of the rainbow, but they come and go so quickly, you don’t often have time to change lenses, filters, and settings. In this case, I had managed everything but the CPL, all without having to move the tripod.

For the editing, you want you work on layers more than usual here, highlight the rainbow, bring its saturation up just a SLIGHT bit, 5% maybe 10%, then, almost in defiance, bring its brightness down just a bit as well. It creates contrast, makes it more visible. Of course you also need to balance the light in your scene, for me, that meant smoothing some rather harsh light, and very dark blacks from the setting sun, so I spent some time gently tweaking those. Really that’s all you need to work your rainbow shots, take your time, be deliberate, and enjoy the shoot.

Until Next Time!

Aperture: f10
ISO: 320
SS: 1/60th
Focal: 12mm

Fujinon 8-16mm