Kyle Helmond (@kylehelmond) is a US-based nature and landscape photographer. “My focus for the last few years has been photographing the National Parks system. I have been to 34/63 parks thus far.” On a recent trip to photograph the “Yosemite Firefall,” he unexpectedly ended up capturing this image instead. We connected with him to learn more about how he photographed a rainbow in Yosemite National Park with his Sony Alpha 7R II and the Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. Keep reading as he shares the story behind the shot.
Photo by Kyle Helmond. Sony Alpha 7R II. Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/250-sec, f/8, ISO 100
When photographing the “Yosemite Firefall” didn’t pan out, Kyle Helmond was lucky to come across this scene which he captured with his Sony Alpha 7R II and the Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master.
The Scene
I was in Yosemite National Park in hopes of photographing the annual "Firefall" on Horsetail Falls. There was little to no water in the falls so we turned our attention to other areas of the park. After a full morning of shooting the sunrise over Half Dome, I was headed for a late breakfast when I happened to see a rainbow forming in Upper Yosemite Falls. I knew this could happen if the sun hit at just the right angle, but I had never witnessed it in person. I quickly got my gear back out to try and catch it before it faded away.
The Gear
I was shooting with the Alpha 7R II and the Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. I wanted the most resolution possible, so the Alpha 7R II was the obvious choice at the time. I also wanted to really isolate the lone tree in front of the falls, so I needed as much reach as possible. The 100-400mm was perfect for what I was envisioning.
The Shot
I ended up shooting this shot at 400mm, 1/250-sec, f/8, ISO 100. I shot everything handheld simply due to time constraints. I didn't want to be fumbling with a tripod and lose the color. My biggest decision was shutter speed. I wanted to capture just enough movement in the water, while also freezing it. 1/250-sec. ended up being exactly what I wanted.
The Edit
I wanted to keep my post-processing to a minimum. I always want my photos to accurately portray things as I saw them. I added some slight vignetting to draw the eye to the tree, and some very slight saturation adjustment to help bring out each color of the rainbow. All of my editing is done in Lightroom.
I love capturing things you don't see every day. This felt like a very special, fleeting moment. Several pieces had to come together at the exact right time for this image to exist, and for that reason it is a very special one to me.
See more of Kyle Helmond’s work on Instagram @kylehelmond.
