Click image for 3000px version -- Bowman's Beach Sanibel Island Double Rainbow Panorama - 5-shot panorama image

• inquire about purchasing fine art prints of these images for your home or office

Bowman's Beach is a dog friendly (on-leash) beach on Sanibel Island, and one of its best beaches of any kind.  I took a timeout from swimming and running with Kiki to photograph a complete rainbow that had formed to the east.  We had to drive through a powerful thunderstorm and wait out the remnants of it while eating onion rings undercover before it was even safe, never mind dry, enough to head out onto the beach.  Storms always seem to leave good things behind, like this rainbow.  I did not even notice it was a double rainbow with my naked eye.  Only once I brought out some detail in Aperture 3 did I see the upper bow.

Sunset over Bowman's Beach Sanibel Island - 3-bracket HDRThe just passed storm also meant the beach was nearly deserted, which was fine by me and Kiki.  We ran far up the shoreline (see photo above) into the sunset, then swam and jogged our way back.  It was one of the most pleasant experiences in recent memory.

• Inquire about purchasing fine art prints of these images for home or office
• Inquire about licensing these images for your business website
• Read more photo stories

Rainbow on their wedding night! Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 250 1/125th strobist - Nikon SB-800 on light stand

Storms were surrounding Sunset Beach on Treasure Island, Florida that evening.  They were rolling on from the west, and from the south, most unusual.  However, Lynda and David were to be married under the open sky right on the beach.  Fortunately, the ceremony was not a long one, and all we saw in the distance was a rainbow, not lightning.

Sand pouring ceremony Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 250 1/125th Nikon SB-800 hotshoe mounted TTL modeLynda and David were a very elegant and polite couple.  Photographing them was a pleasure.  I was glad that David wore a dark blue jacket to contrast nightly with the white of Lynda's dress.  They ended their wedding ceremony by pouring sand into a heart shaped glass keepsake.  

Lifting the bride! Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 250 1/125th strobist - Nikon SB-800 Speedlight on light standIn a way, I kind of prefer shooting on the beach with stormy skies rather than a pure sunset.  The former make for a dramatic backdrop and adds energy and dynamism to a shot.  Standing on the beach we can feel the surrounding energy too, and the slight element of danger.  Nevertheless, Lynda was willing to show off her quite good vertical leap.  We were able to get the above shot on just the third take.

westward is peaceful Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 250 1/125th strobist - Nikon SB-800 Speedlight on light standYou may have noticed I used the same settings for all four shots: 

• aperture - f/8
• ISO - 250 (I confess this might be a mistake, probably meant ISO 200)
• shutter speed - 1/125th
• exposure - manual mode
• strobe power - 1/2 (manual mode & off camera flash, save for one shot) 

So if you find yourself shooting on a stormy evening on the beach facing westward, try giving those settings a try and post a link to your shots in the comments below.

The storm?  Not a drop fell until I was already in my Lexus listening to Common take me home.

• Reserve your wedding photography with Jason today!
• Learn more about candid wedding photography packages
• Browse past wedding clients