Lower Falls on Yellowstone River
Yellowstone National Park. For about 10 minutes when the sun is shining, the rainbow is visible.
Yellowstone National Park. For about 10 minutes when the sun is shining, the rainbow is visible.
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Jul, 2015Views
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Awards
Zenith Award
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
Legendary Award
People's Choice in Unique Yellowstone Photo Challenge
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Peer Award
Superior Skill
Magnificent Capture
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken at the viewpoint for the Lower Falls at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone - Canyon Village area. I believe it was Artist Point.Time
This was taken approximately 9:45 in the morning on September 8, 2014. There is a short window when the sun is at the angle to produce the rainbow and my photography guide timed it perfectly for us to get optimum shooting conditions.Lighting
Lighting is not typically what you would picture for the best landscape shots as it was way past the golden hour. But the sun has to be in a particular position in the sky to generate the rainbow. In this case, the rainbow trumps harsher shadows.Equipment
I was using my Canon 6D with the Canon 70-200L f/4. I was shooting at 200 mm, f/11.0 and 1/60 second. I was using a MeFoto Globetrotter tripod to be able to shoot at that speed - my hands aren't all that steady. I didn't want to shoot very slow because the thundering quality of the waterfall doesn't lend itself to silky long exposure.Inspiration
Need I really say anything about inspiration? The beauty of the scene was the inspiration. Waterfalls are a favorite of mine and the bonus of the rainbow capped the shot for me. I shot both in portrait and landscape mode but the landscape mode just draws you in with the angle of the trees going right into the angle of the rainbow. Being such an iconic image, I didn't attempt to flip the photo to improve the leading lines.Editing
Since I shoot in RAW, I do some amount of post-processing on all my photos in Lightroom. This had a slight boost in contrast, clarity and vibrance and that was about it.In my camera bag
Normally I have the 24-105L f/4 and the Canon 100mm (non-L) f/2.8 macro in my bag along with ND filters and circular polarizers. I didn't have any filters on my lens for this shot. I'm also starting to carry a Lensbaby with the Sweet 35 and Sweet 50 optics. And for this trip, I had rented the Canon 16-35 f/4. That is the next lens on my wish list. I also had my Sigma 150-500 for wildlife shots on this trip. I normally use a backpack to stow my gear, alternating between a Lowepro Fastpack and a Kata dr-466i, depending on what lenses I'm carrying and how far I'm on foot.Feedback
Knowing when the rainbow is going to appear is key for this particular shot. You can get the information at one of the visitor centers at the park. I'm sure this particular spot would also be wonderful at sunrise as the viewpoint is facing west. You won't have the rainbow but I'm sure the yellow in the canyon walls would be totally enriched. By the way, this canyon shows how Yellowstone National Park got its name - from the yellow-colored stone.
