Oregon Coast Rainbow Sunrise

When this rainbow appeared in the sky I was focused in the opposite direction with my face glued to the back of my camera and my attention on the dramatic light exploding along the Oregon Coast cliffside arch (see a few posts back for that particular image). “Holy $%!@. Jay, turn around,” said one of my best buddies who was with me on this Oregon Adventure. I quickly twisted to see this beautiful arching rainbow spreading across the sky and instantly snagged my tripod and rushed over as far to the edge of the small cliff as possible. I carefully placed my tripod down on the wet rocks, making sure it wouldn’t fall the 10 stories into the ocean below, adjusted my camera settings, composed the scene and fired off a frame. It ended up being a 4-second exposure, way longer than I normally would do in this type of situation, but I still had my 10-stop filter attached to my lens and I didn’t have time to take it off. But, when the image popped up on the back of my camera, I loved it. That long exposure gave a beautiful motion within the ocean, helping create a magical, mystical feeling that ties the rainbow from above into the earth and waves below. And when you add the magical bright light within the arch of the rainbow, we have a beautiful focal point that almost feels like it could be a portal into another world or dimension. 
 
Sometimes you plan and get the perfect shot. Sometimes you just get lucky and capture a portfolio scene. And sometimes you have a great friend who always has your back.