I remember standing by the lakeside, watching this quiet scene unfold: a weathered wooden dock stretching gently across rippling pale-blue water, beneath a dark, textured sky that seemed to invite a moment of stillness. Along the dock, I noticed a tall lamp post, a red life preserver, mooring poles, a coiled metal ladder, and even a small broom-like object near the edge—subtle signs that people had recently passed through, though the place felt utterly calm. Then my eyes were drawn to a vivid, rainbow-like arc of refracted light glowing above the water near the center, an ethereal focal point that brought a soft sense of hope into the muted, vintage-toned scene, with the dock quietly grounding everything in reality.
The image shows a full-circle rainbow, captured over a pier and a lakeside landscape during rainfall, something I had never seen before and have never seen again, a rare view that many people never get to witness. Rainbows are, by their optical nature, always perfect circles, a quiet reminder to me that even when we only see a part of something, there is often more wholeness than meets the eye. From the ground, we usually don’t see this phenomenon in its entirety, because the ground and the horizon hide the lower part, making the rainbow appear only as an arc. In this moment, however, a full circle formed thanks to raindrops that were exceptionally close to where I was standing, allowing me a more complete glimpse of this gentle natural wonder.
Why I saw this was the low October sunlight shines directly from behind me and there is a very dense rainfall right between me and the pier, the light has time to refract and reflect back also from the raindrops lower in the air before they hit the ground or the water. In this case, the entire 360-degree circle becomes visible in front of the photographer.
Very special!
It was, really that
It is so easy to forget that rainbows are actually full circles, and seeing one over the lake is just magical. Standing by that quiet lakeside dock while the light refracted must have felt like stepping into another world. Wonderful images you took Ritva! Although I never got a chance to witness a round rainbow.
One time for me too…and i am thrilled to have seen it.
It looks amazing.
It must have been a truly special moment.
Yeah. it was. I had to google what I saw
Yes it is easy to forget the rainbows are part of a full circle. Those are fascinating photos.
That is true
That’s amazing, and how exciting to have witnessed it!
Yes, the circle had me baffled at first
What an amazing moment. Thank you for sharing this … validates the beauty of life
yes, the unexpected mysteries and joys
Amazing and a great capture!
it was, thanks Anne
We once saw that from a plane.
Great! 👍 👍
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Yes, I read about that they are more easily seen from planes
I’ve never even heard of this phenomenon, but it was even more beautiful to see one in your photos. Amazing!
Janet, I had to google up what I saw too
Wow … how extraordinary.
yes, it was a wow moment
Very nice.
Thank you Vijay
Beautiful
Thanks, I was happy to see it.