Photo of the Week - #45 7/25/22

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For me, this is one of those photos that come alive when you view it large. when you see the detail in the field with that big shy and rainbow, it's just a very dramatic view. On my screen, the small version sort of hides the details, the green looks muddy and the whole balance with the sky looks forced. But when you click on it and get the large version, it all locks in. Nice photo!

This is all about the stormy sky, which is indeed spectacular. Not so sure about the irrigation booms on the flat farmland, but that's the way it was, so I'll take it.

This is all about the stormy sky, which is indeed spectacular. Not so sure about the irrigation booms on the flat farmland, but that's the way it was, so I'll take it.

 

Robin, I found the irrigation boom to add interest. Without it, there might not be any story at all.

For me, this is one of those photos that come alive when you view it large. when you see the detail in the field with that big shy and rainbow, it's just a very dramatic view. On my screen, the small version sort of hides the details, the green looks muddy and the whole balance with the sky looks forced. But when you click on it and get the large version, it all locks in. Nice photo!

 

Indeed, Barry, I find this image quite impressive. What really grabbed my attention is how the rainbow seemed to disappear behind dark clouds only to emerge on the other side. I found the colors quite alluring. The image as a whole is quite well seen and presented.

Double post - sorry

I really like the composition of this photo. As a whole, for me, it just 'works'. The most striking aspect for me is the way the irrigation water - as a fountain - gradually 'merges' into the sky. The angle of the irrigation boom -perfectly draws my eye into the center of the photo and the rainbow. This is supported by the leading lines in the landscape and by the finer lines in the foreground. The cloud formations are wonderful and both the forms and the contrasts add a lot of interest! I really like the low placement of the horizon which clearly makes the sky the main area of interest. It's only later that I realized that the irrigation boom was not only a 'leading line' but the connecting factor between the foreground, the sky and the rainbow.

 

Congrats to the photographer for this amazing photo! I can well imagine it being included in an exhibition about themes such as 'rural landscapes or 'agriculture'.

I love the exposure, with minimal blown highlights in the sky. I also notice the similarity in shape between the rainbow and the man made irrigation device.

A truly stunning image. I’ve always been blown away by this particular photographer’s skies, but the drama in this one takes the cake—wow. And combined with a rainbow and a beautifully thought-out composition—triple wow.

 

These are a few of the many things I’m particularly enjoying about the image:

1. The expansiveness of the sky, with just enough foreground to give us context and to set the scene for the irrigation boom.
   
2. The textures, contrasts, and colors in the sky—the photographer strikes a thoughtful balance between bringing out the contrast in the clouds while maintaining the softness of the rain plumes and cloud interiors.
   
3. The selection of the vantage point. Part of this was being at the right place at the right time, but the photographer still had a lot of choice of where to take the photo from—a few hundred feet in either direction would have completely changed the composition.
   
4. The way the miniscule community nestled under the rainbow makes the sky appear even larger.
   
5. The irrigation boom! For several reasons:
   

—it leads me into the heart of the image, to the beautifully detailed community framed by the rainbow

—each segment of it echoes the arc of the rainbow

—the way it’s silhouetted against the lighter clouds and rain plumes

—its function weirdly echoes what’s going on above it—it’s all about water falling from the sky

—it brings out the contrast between the phenomenal power of the sky’s version of irrigation and the frail efforts of people to try to replicate it

 

6. And it’s not often that I see a rainbow being completely upstaged by rain.

 

The only potentially distracting note I see is what may be some vertical distortion in the upper corners—I’m guessing there might be some warping from adjusting panorama boundaries? If so, a trick that sometimes works is to manually enlarge the corners instead of letting the software use an automatic boundary warp, though this may require some cloning to disguise the gradation between expanded and unexpanded portions.

 

In any case, it’s a magnificent photo—bravo!

Thank you all for your kind comments on my thunderstorm photograph. I attribute this photo to mostly serendipity - it would have been impossible to pre-plan. I was driving between Rexburg and Driggs, Idaho, when I noticed the thunderstorm approaching from the east, with the sun behind me in the west. I wanted to be closer to the path of the thunderstorm, so I drove several miles down a dirt road separating potato fields. I then had only a few minutes to find a suitable foreground, without any obscuring buildings, before the lighting would darken and the rainbow would completely disappear. The foreground with the center pivot irrigation system is what I found. As Leslie deduced, this is a stitched panorama. I used my Canon 5D IV with a 24-105 mm zoom set at 24 mm for a series of five images. I think that I used three of the images to make the panorama in Photoshop. Since the images were shot with a wide angle lens and with the camera tilted upwards, distortion was inevitable. Leslie is probably correct about the upper corners being distorted, but fortunately, distortion in clouds is hard to discern.

IHMO there's 'serendipity' (weather/sun) and literally going the extra miles to make optimal use of this. Not to mention your skills in quickly finding the right location, composing an excellent series of photos and (which didn't occur to me) combining these in PP into one photo. I'm in awe!

 

Mike

 

Thank you all for your kind comments on my thunderstorm photograph. I attribute this photo to mostly serendipity - it would have been impossible to pre-plan. I was driving between Rexburg and Driggs, Idaho, when I noticed the thunderstorm approaching from the east, with the sun behind me in the west. I wanted to be closer to the path of the thunderstorm, so I drove several miles down a dirt road separating potato fields. I then had only a few minutes to find a suitable foreground, without any obscuring buildings, before the lighting would darken and the rainbow would completely disappear. The foreground with the center pivot irrigation system is what I found. As Leslie deduced, this is a stitched panorama. I used my Canon 5D IV with a 24-105 mm zoom set at 24 mm for a series of five images. I think that I used three of the images to make the panorama in Photoshop. Since the images were shot with a wide angle lens and with the camera tilted upwards, distortion was inevitable. Leslie is probably correct about the upper corners being distorted, but fortunately, distortion in clouds is hard to discern.

Stunning photo! Really fantastic energy, excellent detail. Imo the irrigation boom anchors it solidly. But I just love everything about it. Nice story, too; well done all around.