Isleta Rainbow [Canon 5D]
New Mexico, May 2, 2009
(click in the image for a larger version)
I think that no matter what type of photography you do, it's pretty hard to resist a truly spectacular rainbow like the one above. I took this near Isleta, which is just south of Albuquerque, while driving to down to Las Cruces and White Sands National Monument. A large section of both north and southbound freeway had been closed due to a bad accident and the traffic was being re-routed through nearby communities and along rural roads. It was during this lengthy and slow-moving detour that the rainbow appeared.
Sometimes speed and the momentum of the drive, especially if you're running a bit late, as I was, can override the impulse to stop for a photo. The detour turned out to be a good thing because it was much easier to make the decision to stop and get the camera out while driving 25 miles per hour than it would have been if I had still been on the freeway going 75 miles per hour (though with such a beautiful rainbow, who knows...I might have stopped anyway). Plus the vantage point offered by the detour was much better than what would have been available on the freeway. As is often the case with rainbows, this one didn't last long. This shot is actually a panorama merge of two exposures because I could not fit the entire rainbow into a single exposure.
I'm looking forward to a return visit to New Mexico in about a month for my Photoshop Creative Collage class at the Mesilla Digital Imaging Workshops, Nov. 5 to Nov. 8. We'll spend 4 days immersed in the essential concepts and techniques for making creative multi-image composites, exploring everything from "straight" landscape panoramas such as the photo above, to surreal constructed realities, from abstract blending of multiple elements to photo-realistic flights of fancy. Along the way, we'll also be taking a detailed look at many essential companion skills for making collages, such as selections and masking. If you are interested in taking your Photoshop collage skills to the next level, come join me in southern New Mexico for this workshop. There's still room left, but be sure to sign up soon. Click on the class title above for more info.
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