Nebraska author Willa Cather said, “There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.” Why this quote popped into my head while I was shooting this image, I really don’t know. I had not recalled it for years until this rainbow appeared.
What I do know is I almost missed the opportunity to capture this image of a rainbow in storm clouds. As a rainbow dimmed in the opposite sky, I was putting my camera gear back in my Jeep when I decided I would shoot a few images as this storm was passing through.
I thought I had witnessed every phenomena of nature as a trained weather spotter for our local fire department. Tornados, hail the size of baseballs, lightning strikes so close the sky turned neon blue, straight-line winds strong enough to move a fire truck horizontally and once in 25, 50 and 100 year rains on back-to-back days. This was the first time I had seen a rainbow that appeared to be embedded in the storm.
Standing in the sunlight pivoting my lens to the southeast, I was reminded how easy it is turn our backs to the storm instead of waiting for the calm after the rainbow appears.