Karijini Rainbow Sunrise; magic on a cold morning

Scene: Camp ground at Karijini National Park, Western Australia. Time: Very early on a very cold morning in June. Rodney wakes me up. It is still pitch black. “Beautiful cloud cover, wanna go shoot?” Rod’s frozen voice asks me. Karijini in Winter is a bit on the cold side when the sun isn’t out so my warm sleeping bag is tempting, having to put on the same clothes I have been wearing all week and step outside is not. However; I cannot miss a potential wide open Karijini landscape bathed in light from a rising sun under the watchful eye of big clouds. So grab clothes and gear and out of bed it is. “We’re taking the troopie” Rod says in the direction of Casey’s tent. It is actually my small $30 Coles tent but Casey chose this tent for better insulation from snorers. “Fine, go” says Casey, not feeling like joining us in tasting the cold morning air.

Off we drive towards Knox Gorge, one of the better places near the campground where you can find a view with a bit of wide open space (my kinda setting, gorges are too confining for me). With the air con on max heating the Troopie is heaven. Having shot the sunrise a few days earlier as well I know one spot on the way to Knox Gorge where the landscapes opens up a bit. It really is still pitch black so we miss it and drive back and forth a few times until we find it. I then have to use the bush toilet. Why this always happen when I shoot is beyond me. In the meantime Rod unloads my gear and takes off. Looking back, slightly surprised I see Rod pointing Troopie’s headlight at something in the spinnifix grass and I hear him shouting “your bag is there, I am off to the gorge lookout". So I find my composition, point in the direction of the upcoming sun and run around a bit to keep warm. Many nice sunrise shots later I almost miss the real hero shot from this morning!  Look behind you numnuts and you shall see this!

Click to see large size on my gallery! Copyright Flemming Bo Jensen Photography

Karijini Rainbow Sunrise
© Flemming Bo Jensen Photography

I was shooting into the sun and forgot to attach rear view mirrors so were oblivious to the lightshow behind me. Suddenly I notice, there’s a massive 180 degree visible rainbow behind me. Numnuts here is too slow in moving and setting up composition to catch all of it as it disappears in seconds. The rainbow lasted for about one minute and I almost missed all of it. Only caught the tail end of it. I got in one shot before it was completely gone. One exposure capturing mostly the reminder of a once-was rainbow. Still, the scene I ended up with retains the truly remarkable Karijini magic from this morning!

Please comment on what you think of this slice of magic and story from a cold but beautiful Karijini morning?

 

PS. Rod took forever at the gorge so I shot heaps more photos, yet to be posted. What took so long? Bloody keys dropped out of the ignition! Troopie keeps running so you don’t notice. Until you need the keys that is and can’t find them!

14 Comments on “Karijini Rainbow Sunrise; magic on a cold morning”

  1. lovely shot Flem! your usual high standard outback image there 🙂

    spewing you missing the rainbow. that would have made for an incredible sight, not often you see an image such as this with a rainbow

  2. Remember when we talked about painting a picture for the reader? Well, you're freakin' Monet :-D! Such a beautiful scene captured perfectly by both camera and words… Thanks for the sweeet, if only momentary, escape from reality :-)! More to come, I hope!

    1. Terima kasih 😀 Was actually thinking about that when I wrote this, painting a picture with words. Very happy you like it!

      Many more 'escapes' coming up – but if you are in Karijini National Park this is reality though, actual magic happens in real life!

  3. Hi Flemming,

    As mentioned on Facebook this would have to be my most favourite shot of yours. The gentle, subtle colours, from the sunrise bathing the surrounding landscape is a beautiful site to behold.

    Thanks for Sharing,

    Jamie

  4. That's beautiful Flemming. I'm aching to go back there. Talking to my boy about not having been anywhere in 2009, we're thinking we might run away for a month or so up to NT next year…. these random outback posts from you just makes me wanna go now though!

  5. Great story Flem (or is that numnuts?) 😉

    I love the light in the shot posted – I assume this is a single frame slightly cropped ? regardless it's crisp yet with warm soft light bathing everything – hte sort I love! top stuff mate !

    1. Thanks very much Tony!!! The light was special and so fleeting. It is indeed a cropped single Mk II frame, no time for anything else. I actually have two raw files I noticed last night, this is the first and already in the 2nd image right after most of the light on the clouds have faded. I do wish numbnuts here had turned around two minutes earlier!

  6. yeah it's incredible (or bullshit) how fast that light can disappear sometimes ! At least you still got this freakin great shot ! 🙂

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