Morning Rainbow

Gallery: Man & NaturePosted September 20, 2010438 views9 comments

I hoped to get the gulls larger in the frame, but this is a close as they would let me approach. There were people walking on the beach, so I had to time the shot to when the near field of view was clear. You can see the people in the distance. I partially desaturated the clothing of the nearest two figures. They were wearing orange and turquoise, which seems to be the most popular colors for beachwear this season.

The rainbow appeared quickly and then dissipated as the cloud morphed. It re-appeared a little later as a more complete arc, but much less vivid. In CS3, I applied one pass of the saturation sponge set at 20% to bump the rainbow.

I had a polarizer on the lens, which I turned to maximize the appearance of rainbow. I've read that a polarizer will enhance a rainbow. I do know that it can completely erase a rainbow. I didn't take the time to remove the polarizer as I was dealing with the gulls, the people, and the changing cloud. Can a polarizer be used to enhance a rainbow, compared to an identical image made without a polarizer? Also, what do you think of the picture? Frank C&C welcomed.

Canon 1D3, 17-40 f4 @ 17mm
ISO 400, f11, 1/50
Evaluative metering, Aperture priority (Av) +2/3

Edit: Print for purchase has been edited pursuant to critiques received below.

Comments

9 comments

Comment posted by Muhammad Zaid Wani on September 20, 2010 at 12:07 PM

Incredible shot, Buck! The rainbow, the clouds, the gulls, the sky, I just like everything about it. Very pleasing composition. Sorry, can't help with your question regarding polarizers.

Registered on August 18, 2005, 23 Posts, 1406 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on September 20, 2010 at 12:18 PM

That is a great shot! I like the comp and the light.
I love how the clouds build in such narrow columns in Florida. They are more massive here in Colorado, but I have seen this building many times in posts on here and in my friend's photos from when he lived there.
I have found the same effect from a polarizer that can seem to enhance or make disappear the rainbow. I usually leave mine on.
Check out Darwin Wigget's blog post on this http://singhray.blogspot.com/2010/01/seven-rules-for-effectively-using.html

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Larry Gloth on September 20, 2010 at 2:30 PM

Awesome clouds and rainbow nicely captured. The strip of sand and gulls are a very effective lead into the image. The polarization is strong and actually seems to add a bit of a vignette to focus the eye on the center clouds so I think it works well.

Registered on August 29, 2007, 96 Posts, 1003 Comments

Comment posted by Danny Laureys on September 20, 2010 at 5:24 PM

Awesome shot!!!

Registered on January 5, 2008, 590 Posts, 1261 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Sabiston on September 21, 2010 at 10:29 PM

The cloud really drives it home, but everything is working together well here. The rainbow is some pretty serious icing on the shot, though!

Registered on April 7, 2007, 134 Posts, 443 Comments

Comment posted by Michael J Greene, on September 22, 2010 at 2:32 AM

An incredible scene and great processing Buck. Ver original image. Frankly, I think the vignetting on the top is just a bit heavy, but that's a persona preference. I also think just a few birds, would have worked better - it's a little crowded down there on the beach. Not much you could do about that. You can't hardly see the people in the image at this size, I am sure at full size you could successfully clone them out altogether. A rare and amazing capture.

Michael

Registered on June 18, 2009, 86 Posts, 2317 Comments

Comment posted by Angela Classen on September 22, 2010 at 11:09 PM

The strip of beach in the FG really leads the eyes into the scene. The rainbow is way cool. Nice shot!

Registered on June 13, 2007, 434 Posts, 2742 Comments

Comment posted by Kah Kit Yoong on September 27, 2010 at 8:34 PM

Awesome catch, the elements work together very well. As a general rule, polarizers should always be used for rainbows. I quite like the vignetting but it does seem to draw attention to the bright areas in the water which I would tone down.

Registered on September 27, 2006, 636 Posts, 10682 Comments

Comment posted by Buck Ward on September 27, 2010 at 10:49 PM

Thanks everyone for the critiques.

I reduced the vignetting and toned town the bright water. Don't know how many will see this at this late date, but I thought I'd put up this re-post to show you the product of your comments.

Registered on December 8, 2003, 96 Posts, 1917 Comments