I’ve been a Boy Scout leader.  I taught young boys and young men preparedness since that’s the motto of the BSA.  I never imagined that I would have to apply this lesson in my landscape photography quite this way.  Still, I was glad it worked out as well as it did.  I learned my lesson in preparedness.

We had business in Tropic Utah so we drove out there.  The weather was quite iffy as there were storm clouds overhead.  We didn’t want to be out long.  We also had a car full of cargo.  There was little room for anything else in there with us and the cargo.

Once in Tropic, the sun peeked through the clouds just right as to create a rainbow.  Not just any rainbow, it was a full arch and a partial double on the right side as well.  It was beautiful.  I wanted my camera so I could take pictures.  Alas, I didn’t have it.  I had to settle for my cell phone camera as a pathetic substitute.

I annoyed myself when, as I was watching the rainbow, I happened to see lightning go off right in the rainbow itself.  If I would have had my camera with me pointed in the right direction and taking a shot, I could have captured one of the most elusive landscape photos out there: rainbow and lightning together.

My annoyance reached its peak when we were driving back through Bryce Canyon.  We reached the overview lookout point on the 12 Highway when sunset arrived.  The clouds lit up in all sorts of shades and hues of pink.  I could still see a part of the rainbow as well.  Here were conditions I dream about as a landscape photographer and I didn’t arrive prepared for them when they came.  All I had was my cell phone camera to try and make something out of these amazing conditions and the amazing view.

As I was expressing my serious frustration to some of the other people out photographing the scene, one of them kindly lent me his DSLR camera (a Nikon D500).  He also offered to email me the photos I took.  I was so delighted to have the chance to try for something better than my cell phone that I took him up on the offer.

I took a handful of photos, marking the ones I took so he could tell easily.  Then, I returned his camera to him.  After all, he was out there to shoot the landscape for himself.  He wasn’t there to loan out his camera to anyone who happened to be present out there and come as ill-prepared as I was.

I received those photos via email a few days ago.  When culling, I was delighted again to see that there were a couple of photos in the small series which I could use for myself.  So, a big shout-out thank you to Brad for lending me your camera for a couple minutes to let me photograph that sunset.  These photos are what came out of that shoot.  I’ve learned my lesson in preparedness and will come better prepared next time.