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Rainbow at ElamBend |
My heart leaps up
when I behold - William Wordsworth |
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A photo essay by Dan Bush |
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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.
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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.. |
A ghostly red hue lit up the landscape as the sun disappeared below the horizon. |
My final shots were aimed south and west where the light from the setting sun was still shining up onto the cloud deck.. The clouds were at times almost mammatus in appearance.
This 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 the bend
in the Grand River that occurs here. The river has changed its course in
this area 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 Google
maps as shown below. The tree
appears as a black dot in a tan colored field near the bend in the road. The tree has suffered much damage since the
image was taken due to harsh winter ice storms.
All photos taken with a Nikon D70
Digital Camera.
The fisheye lens used was a Nikon 10.5mm DX Lens.
Photos taken
by Dan Bush of Albany, Missouri.
Homestead
Magazine Article Featuring Missouri Skies
Full
Rainbow at Mt. Zion Church (2009)
A Full Rainbow: Stanberry, Missouri near Hall Bottom (2007)
Another Northwest Missouri Rainbow in May 2006.
Another Rainbow photographed near Elam Bend (June 24, 2006)
A Spectacular Rainbow Seen Near Conception, Missouri
All Images Copyright ©2006 D. Bush