Desert Rainbows

Rainbows always fascinate me.  They are beautiful, ephemeral, and not something I see every day.  When I am lucky enough to see a rainbow,  I try to take time to enjoy it and appreciate it.  As a Christian, a rainbow always reminds me of God's promise to Noah that He would never destroy the earth by flood again. 

The science of rainbows are that it takes rain and sun to create a rainbow.  In the desert, rain events are few and far between, so a rainbow is even more special in the desert.  

In my last trip, I was at Big Bend during several rain events.  During the first one, the rain was in the middle of the afternoon when the sun was still high in the sky.  The location of a rainbow is related to the sun angle.  I was at the bottom of the valley when I saw the rain and sunshine.  I knew that I had to get up higher in order to see the rainbow.  I was with a photographer friend. When we got to the top and started looking for the rainbow, she saw it first. But it was against the hillside not high in the sky due to the sun angle - much as I had expected. I knew we would be looking down on the rainbow because of how high in the sky the sun was. I rushed to photograph it and thought that I had missed it.  

When I began working the photos from the trip, I realized that I had actually captured a double rainbow.  One is barely visible against the hillside and the other in the sky. 

As we drove back to where the bluebonnets were,  I saw another rainbow barely peaking over the canyon wall.

On a different day, the sun and rain again appeared together. This time the sun was lower in the sky and I knew we needed to get down lower to see it.  Sure enough, a rainbow next to Casa Grande.

As a photographer, I get a sense of urgency when I know a rainbow is possible. I can hardly wait to get the chance to photograph it, so when I see one is possible and I'm in the wrong place, you can imagine me bouncing in my seat in anticipation and hope that I will get there in time to capture it. 

Rainbow photography tips:

1.  Learn the sun angle - so you know whether or not you need a taller vantage point or a lower vantage point to see the rainbow.

2. Use a circular polarizer filter.  It will brighten the rainbow or make it totally disappear depending upon how it is turned.

3.  Bracket your exposure so you have a better chance to get the most vibrant colors. 

4.  When possible, try to find a location near you with an optimal composition.

5.  Take time to enjoy the rainbow in the short time it is visible. 

A Big Bend Panorama

There are air quality issues at Big Bend . . . many of the days I was there . . . the haze obscured the vistas.  I had assumed the air pollution was coming from Mexico, but research indicates that coal fired plants in both Texas and Mexico contribute. Prevailing summer winds bring pollutants from the Gulf Coast and Mexico into the Big Bend area.  

However, it also gave some opportunities for some dramatic photos.  I was fascinated by how the backlit mountains were silhouetted with the smog defining the ridges.  I took a sequence of shots, hoping that I would have something to work with. 

Here is the original.

Post processing is major part of a photographer's toolbox.  In this case I cropped in photoshop to remove most of the sky and some of the foreground to create a more panoramic look.  

Then I used NIK Software Color Efex Pro's Detail Extractor to bring out more of the details in those amazing volcanic features.  

Here is another view of the same scene, this time shot with a sequence of shots and stitched. While this one shows more the vast and beautiful panorama here, full sized it is 10 inches tall and 75 inches wide . . . somehow I don't think I will ever print it . . .

I wish that there was more being done to reduce the pollution . . . Big Bend is far from the populations centers of Texas . . . out of sight, out of mind . . . 

Big Bend - The Adventure Begins

Today was the first full day in the Big Bend area. I am traveling with, Nancy Damron a photographer friend.

We began the day taking FM 170, the River Road section of Big Bend Ranch State Park.

It was a chilly morning, the vultures were waiting until it warmed off to soar over the valley.

There were cliff swallows over the river. I was hoping to capture one of them visiting the nests. Perhaps tomorrow I will get lucky.

Big horn sheep showed up above us on our way back to Terlingua. 

Going into Big Bend National Park, I added a new bird species to my life list, a Phainopepla.

I added several birds to my year list - Say's Phoebe, White Throated Sparrow, Black Phoebe, etc.

I was really planning on birding around Santa Elena Canyon, but the golden canyon walls beckoned to be photographed.  Not a great photo, but it is a glimpse of my world today.