Lerma's Rainbow

When the price of gasoline was less than a peso, it was very reasonable to drive around the country side just for the sheer pleasure of driving. I love to stop by San Pablo just to admire the peace and quiet that Sampaloc Lake instills. I didn’t know that there were actually seven lakes until many decades later from Pomping Saulo, owner of a local Mister Donut store.

Recently, Lerma Prudente took some photographs of Sampaloc Lake. Was it the lake or the rainbow that was the subject of the photo? With the innocence of a girl scout, Lerma bridged the quiet lake with color. Never mind if fish pens now desecrate the stillness of the lake. Never mind if today there are more structures at the perimeter of Sampaloc. It was a good shoot and it made me feel good.

Rainbow photography can be a difficult task. First, you have to have a rainbow. Experience tells us it’s not easy to hunt for one. I was once a shutter bug but whenever a rainbow appears, I would not have the old Nikon with me.

Lerma’s rainbow hits a mountain at the horizon but where the other leg is keeps you in suspense. Truths is it’s not easy to cover the whole arc even with a 28 mm lens on a 35 mm camera. A 19 mm wide angle lens or less should be able to capture the 84° angle of view which Lerma did not have. Actually, she had four shoots, two showing the left foot and two showing the right foot. I chose this one because of the mountain. The leaves on the foreground was just right and in keeping with the technique of creating depth.