How to shoot a rainbow

Charlotte has a wonderfull photography group called the STOTM group. Alot of the members are either full time photographers or semi professionals. They are so willing to share their expertise with the rest of us.

We had planned a shoot but the rains kept getting in the way. As we were trying to dodge the rain a rainbow appeared over the city. The photo below was taken without a polarizing filter and post processed to enhance the rainbow.

The rest of the group quickly pulled out their polarizing filter and started shooting away. It turned into a class on polarizing filters (which one more thing I need to add to my photo bag).

Polarizing Filter

The use of a Circular Polarizing filter is the key to taking great photographs of rainbows. If you turn the filter one way, it will make the rainbow completely disappear, while if you turn it 180 degrees, then the rainbow will be brilliantly saturated. Because rainbows are made of myriad tiny droplets of water that are reflecting light, you use the polarizing filter to modulate the intensity of the colors. Simply mount the filter to the front of your SLR lens and, as you rotate it, watch in the viewfinder as the color bands brighten and then fade. Shoot when you see the saturation you want.

You would also use the polarizing filter if you were taking shots of a reflection in water or in windows.