Photographing rainbows
General information about Photographing Rainbows
Photographing rainbows is easy ... at least if one occurs, you have the laziest lens, a nice foreground, and so on. But basically by "button pushing" with your cell phone, you can quickly capture the natural phenomenon, of course. Sometimes this is also necessary and the only option with this fast sky phenomenon. After all, not everyone also has their main camera at hand and quickly set up. But optimal is different... 😉
How does an ordinary rainbow form in the sky?
A rainbow is in multicolored arc running from one side of the horizon to the other. It occurs when our daytime star, the Sun, irradiates water droplets at such an angle that a well-defined amount of it is reflected back to the observer. This happens, depending on dse angle of observation, always at a different wavelength, i.e. color.
So note that the Sun is always behind the observer. As a result, if you are not careful, in wide-angle shots you will basically always see the photographer' s shadow "in frame" ... unless that shadow has just been left out of frame, of course 😉
Therefore, the Sun is right behind the photographer.
Are there any rainbows other than these in the sky?
Yes indeed there are rainbows that are not in the sky. Just think of a waterfall. Based on the same principles, these rainbows are created by water droplets forming above the waterfall and being illuminated by the Sun. One of the largest waterfalls in the world are Niagara Falls in the USA. Here are two examples of photos that were taken of the rainbow above Niagara Falls (photographed on the American side).
What lens do I need to capture the rainbow phenomenon?
Which lens you use to photograph a rainbow depends mainly on how much of the phenomenon you want to capture. With a telephoto lens you will only be able to capture a small or very small part of the rainbow. Since the rainbow itself will then be much wider in your photo, so spread out over a larger part of your photo, the bow will be less colorful. It is nice if you can then place something in the foreground of your photo (e.g. a picturesque mill or house, people, ... just to say something).
If you want a high-contrast photo, the trick is to show the different colors of the rainbow on the smallest possible area in your photo. So photograph "from a little further away". So not with a telephoto lens but with a 50 mm (standard lens) or smaller focal length.
What lens do I need to photograph a full rainbow?
If you want to capture a horizon-wide full rainbow you will need to use an ultra-wide angle. You can already capture a full rainbow in a full frame camera with a 13 to 14 mm.
If you want to capture a double rainbow, you quickly end up with a 10 to 11 mm lens. Ideally you need a 10 mm ultra wide angle for this, then you even have some leeway. See the various photographic examples below.
In summary for a full frame camera:
* 10-11 mm rectilinear (ultra-wide-angle zoom such as 10-18mm / 11-24mm)
→ makes a full double arc realistically possible
* 14 mm is usually already tight for a single arc, so never enough for the full double arc.
* 8 mm fisheye → then you're totally safe, but with fisheye distortion of course.
Does a polarizing filter make sense in rainbow photography?
When you use a polarizing filter you obtain more saturated colors. This is common knowledge among landscape photographers. Many of them use such a filter almost by default. A rainbow will still be seen through a polarizing filter. However, when you turn the circular polarizing filter, only a piece, yes only one piece, of the entire rainbow will disappear. When you turn the filter, you will notice that another piece of the rainbow will disappear. That is probably not the intention... we want to capture the entire rainbow, don't we?
So you may photograph with a polarizing filter, but set it so that you can still see the full arc.
Why is a rainbow gone so quickly?
A rainbow disappears relatively quickly because it only appears when all the factors are right. We are dealing with a very dynamic fact: there must be enough water in the air (and rain clouds move quickly, are formed and disappear again - sometimes in a very short time) and, very importantly, the Sun must shine on the raindrops at a specific angle. However, the Sun does not stand still relative to the Earth either: the Sun revolves once around the Earth in one twenty-four hour period (and therefore rises in the East and sets later in the day - except in polar regions 😉 ). Does the Sun and/or the raindrops shift slightly, which is actually ALWAYS the case, then the conditions are no longer met and the rainbow disappears "like snow in the sun" (even faster).
Is it possible that a double rainbow is visible?
It is certainly possible. More than that, double rainbows occur frequently. The primary rainbow is at about 42° from the point directly opposite the sun (called the antisolar point). The second arc is much weaker than the primary rainbow and is basically always on the outside of the actual, primary rainbow.
Note that the colors in the secondary rainbow are always mirrored to the colors of the primary rainbow: that is, they are in "reverse" order.
Is a rainbow always high in the sky?
No, that is absolutely not always the case, although it is mostly the case. I have here an example of a rainbow photographed on Sept. 21, 2025. You can see here just how low a rainbow can be. Many will/would probably have never even noticed it 😉.
Actually it is simple: the center of the rainbow (circle), the observer (i.e. you) and the Sun are always on one line. When the Sun is high in the sky (noon), the rainbow will be low in the horizon. Take a look at the picture below: the Sun was then very high in the sky.
Did you know... you a rainbow from the air as a full circle can see ? From the ground you can only see a half circle "because the earth cuts off the rest" you will mostly read 😉 That, of course, is lark and apekool of course because there are several pictures where you can see that the rainbow continues for a while until for certain houses that you see far on the horizon. The reason why you usually don't see the bottom of the rainbow is because there are simply far fewer or no water drops on that line of sight. And you simply need water to refract sunlight. High/higher in the sky you then have rain clouds, thus a rainbow. No or insufficient water in the sky at that line of sight also means no rainbow at that line of sight. 'Tis thus actually... very simple 😉 .
From an airplane, the rainbow is often a full circle, but still with the same angle of 42°. Drone photographers regularly capture a full rainbow at times. For example, see here. Also be sure to check out the beautiful drone photo who as Astronomy Picture of the Day (known in the world by the acronym APOD) was published on Dec. 27, 2022. The helicopter shot as APOD of Sept. 30, 2014 was also a very nice one!
(c) 2017, Jakob Owens, Unslash License
ChatGPT 5.1 explains it as follows:
"On a plane:
- You are high above the clouds, so your horizon is far below you.
- The sun shines on water droplets around and below you (for example, in clouds).
- There is nothing that hides the bottom of the rainbow.
- As a result, you can see all the drops on the 42° circle, including those below you.
- The result: a full round rainbow, sometimes perfectly symmetrical.
Important: The center of the circle is exactly opposite the sun, so often below the plane - so you see the circle below you through the window."
Tip: Know that in case you want to photograph an ordinary rainbow (and actually even when photographing a rainbow from a waterfall) it is best to protect yourself and your camera and lens from water. Either the air is so saturated or it sometimes rains at times, that it will be necessary for non-professional (high-end cameras and lenses - such as, for example, the L series of Canon's EF/RF lenses) to protect the equipment. There are special rain covers for this purpose, for example. Examples can be found at Kamera-Express. It is normal that these covers do not protect the lens surface itself: make sure you always have a clean cotton cloth with you to dry the water drops on the lens or filter. When drying, make sure that the surface is not soiled with grains of sand or other hard impurities, as smudges can cause scratches!
Internet information from and about photographing Rainbows
Wikipedia information on
- the phenomenon "Rainbow"(NL - FR - EN)
- the phenomenon "Color"(NL - FR - EN)
Our photos about Photographing Rainbows
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Examples of rainbow photos
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