Rainbow at Elam Bend

My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky:
- William Wordsworth

As I pulled the truck up next to one of my favorite trees I looked over my left shoulder and there sat the most vivid rainbow that I had ever seen. It appeared to me to be about 100 yards away or maybe even closer. I was unable to get a great shot at first. I couldn't get out of the truck with the camera because it was still raining fairly hard. I didn't want to get water on my lenses. The image below is my first shot of this rainbow. I can't remember whether it was taken in the truck or standing outside. Due to the low altitude of the setting sun the red color of this rainbow was more vivid than the other colors. Notice that the colors of the secondary rainbow are opposite in order of the primary rainbow colors with red appearing on the inside of the bow. Also notice that the sky inside of a rainbow is much brighter than the area outside. For more information about rainbows go HERE.

The picture above is a close-up of the first photo. It shows the apparent close proximity of the right flank of the rainbow. That tree line is about 1500 feet away from me as measured on an aerial photo. I have never seen a rainbow this close before other than one created by artificial sources of water such as a garden hose or sprinkler. NOTE: No pot of gold was found as a result of this event.

Above is a fisheye lens view of the rainbow including the old tree near the road. The hill behind me put part of my surroundings in shadow. This was my first ever shot of a complete rainbow. No other camera or lens that I have ever owned was capable of taking such a shot where both flanks of the rainbow were seen all the way down to the ground. As an added attraction this was a double rainbow.

This is a photo of the left flank of the rainbow. The rain had moved beyond the tree line at this point. These tall trees are on the southern bank of the Grand River as it runs to the east near Elam Bend.

I moved closer to the tree with the fisheye lens for this composition above. The secondary rainbow is still there but is disappearing fairly quickly.

As the rain moved on and the rainbow dissipated the view was still picturesque to the east. Notice that a small portion of the rainbow (primary and secondary) is still visible on either side of the tree paralleling the trunk..

All images Copyright © 2005-2006 D. Bush
Two views (above and below) of the tree looking towards the western sunset glow.

A ghostly red hue lit up the landscape as the sun disappeared below the horizon.

Above is a summertime view of the same tree at Elam Bend shot in 2005. The name "Elam Bend" is a descriptive place name that describes a sharp bend in the Grand River that occurs here. The river has changed its course in this area several times including a major shift as a result of the flooding in 1993. This area is also listed in the book Geologic Wonders and Curiosities of Missouri as a "shut-in" where the river valley narrows considerably with bluffs very near the river. You can see the area including the tree using the Google map link shown below. The tree appears as a black dot in a tan colored field near the bend in the road. The map should be centered right on the tree. The tree has suffered much damage since the image was taken due to harsh winter ice storms.

Google Map of the Area

Youtube Video of the Tree in 2009

Missouri Skies Featured in Homestead Magazine
All images Copyright © 2005-2006 D. Bush
Any use is prohibited without permission.

See more Missouri Skies Rainbow images by following these links:

Rainbow over Mt. Zion Church 2009
Rainbow Near Conception, Missouri

Popularity and fraudulant claims: The photos that were taken on this evening have become very popular on the internet. I have received thousands of request to use the images, especially the ones above taken with a fisheye lens, in various projects. One image was even spread throughout the web in a "chain e-mail". I did not start this e-mail. Visits to this web page and other Missouri Skies pages of mine have soared into the tens of millions since these shots were taken.

Unfortunately I have been accused of stealing one of these images from a woman in New Zealand. A news story appeared on New Zealand Television in November of 2009 detailing a woman who has claimed to have had her "rainbow photo" somehow stolen from her. The photo that they show in the story is my photograph and they even show my web site "Missouri Skies" as the culprit. The story can be viewed here providing that the link is not broken: NEW ZEALAND STORY. I appreciate the overwhelming show of support regarding this matter.

All that I can say is that I have more than 10 ways that I can prove that I took the photo. The woman in the story offers no proof at all.

Back to Missouri Skies