Catherine Opie is known for her powerful photography that examines the ideals and norms surrounding the concept of the American dream and American identity. Opie studies the connections between mainstream society and marginalized communities, creating works relating to sexual identity and documenting the relationship between individual and the world around them. Throughout her practice, Opie investigates queer culture and personal history, creating work that is often autobiographical and informed by her experiences as a lesbian woman.

Rainbow Falls #2 is part of a series by Catherine Opie in which she focuses on Yosemite National Park, in part for its strong connection to the iconic photographer Ansel Adams. Opie's depictions of Yosemite define a more unpredictable relationship with nature in time than Adams'. Her decision to create works within the classical genre of landscape relating to such an iconic male figure in the field allows Opie to destabilize existing narratives surrounding the American wilderness. Through this, Opie uniquely visualizes the physicality shared between human bodies and the landscape, revealing the transformation of both, and exposing our destructive relationship with the environment.