The story behind the images.

Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Rainbow Valley - Northern Territory Central Australia

I was living at the time in Alice Springs and like many times before checking the weather pattern in the sky…hmmm, maybe if I am lucky and drive down to Rainbow Valley I get some nice cloud formations over the colorful rock face.

But nothing prepared me for what the weather had in store for me that day, I jumped into my 4X4 wheel drive and set off on jet another visit to Rainbow Valley.

A visit like so many times before to one my favorite locations south of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia, located in the Dessert where temperatures can soar into the 50°C. During the month from November to February this region of Australia is getting the occasional rain storms, when wildflowers appearing out of nowhere and dramatic skies above adding yet another dimension to this desert region of Australia.

Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Near Rainbow Valley - after the rain Wild flowers on red
sand dunes, Northern Territory Central Australia

I arrived around 3:00PM waiting patiently and watching the sky, then all of a sudden about an hour or so later, all hell broke loose and this time luck was on my side, an amazing weather spectacle unfolded right in front of my eyes in the beautiful late afternoon light.

The rock formation is called Rainbow Valley, but the weather condition that day added certainly a rare touch to it…there I was, the perfect rainbow (double) unfolded right in front of my eyes over this amazing rock formation. A first for me... and as I found out later, one of the first Rainbows ever recorded over Rainbow Valley.

Once the storms have past Central Australia is returning to clear blue skies where wild flowers grow on red sand dunes for only a few month of the year. A tough time to travel for sure... but for me it is the best time for Photography in the Australian outback.

It was my lucky day for sure, I "burned" one roll after the other, shooting vertical & horizontal images, bracketing the exposure...no LCD them days.

I might add…no Photoshop…no manipulation…no Digital Camera…just plain and simple Kodachrome 25 ASA film and a bit of luck on my side.

Rainbow Valley is located about 75 km south of Alice Springs along the Stuart Hwy, and about 22 km east of the highway along a dirt road. In the summer temperatures commonly rise above 50°C .

The main features of the Rainbow Valley Conservation Reserve are its spectacular red sandstone bluffs and cliffs. These free standing cliffs form part of the James Range, and are particularly attractive late afternoon when rainbow-like bands of differently colored rock are highlighted.
(hence the reason for its name Rainbow Valley)

GD