Having taken my first balloon ride a month ago, I am hooked on balloons! It’s a wonderful perspective to photograph from at around 500′ or lower. So, I booked a balloon ride during the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta to try to capture the event from aloft, with other balloons. I got lucky and was assigned to a smaller balloon with just 3 passengers and the pilot…
Nikon D4, AF-S 28-300mm 3.5-5.6 VR
The next thing I learned is that it’s better not to be the first balloon up since there are no other balloons in the sky to photograph but, I did find it interesting to see the balloons all laid out ready to inflate…
Nikon D4, AF-S 28-300mm 3.5-5.6 VR
Other balloons were beginning to inflate as we drifted off. I composed the image to include the Balloon Museum in the background…
Nikon D4, AF-S 28-300mm 3.5-5.6 VR
And the sky began to fill with colorful balloons…
Nikon D4, AF-S 28-300mm 3.5-5.6 VR
It was a beautiful morning for flying. The air aloft was actually warmer than that on the ground and the morning light was lovely…
Nikon D4, AF-S 28-300mm 3.5-5.6 VR
Nikon D4, AF-S 28-300mm 3.5-5.6 VR
As the sun crested the Sandia Mountains, it illuminated a lone balloon against the shadow of the mountain…
Nikon D4, AF-S 28-300mm 3.5-5.6 VR
What an experience to float hundreds of feet above the earth with only thin fabric filled with hot air to keep us aloft. I know I’ll continue to explore balloon flight photography in the future…
Nikon D4, AF-S 28-300mm 3.5-5.6 VR
In no time our flight was over and everyone pitched in to deflate the balloon and carefully load it back in it’s bag until the next flight…
Nikon D4, AF-S 28-300mm 3.5-5.6 VR
Nikon D4, AF-S 28-300mm 3.5-5.6 VR
Our captain (Michael Gianetti) provided a safe and delightful balloon ride. I look forward to my next flight of fantasy. Stay tuned.
*Tech note: One technique I used during the balloon fiesta was to set my ISO to the Auto ISO setting with 1/125 of a second as my slowest shutter speed and 1600 as my highest ISO. I let the camera adjust the ISO as needed to keep a relatively fast shutter speed for the mobility and hand holding. If the light range was too dark for these parameters, the camera would default to whatever settings it took to make a correct exposure with me adjusting exposure compensation to taste. I found this to give me more freedom to move quickly and capture spontaneous moments without worrying about some of the technical details.
Great shots here Laurie!
I went to my first balloon festival this year in my old hometown. Granted, it was much, much smaller than the one you attended. But for me, I knew where some good vantage points were in the valley and above the valley, so I got lucky on a couple of shots. And shooting using the morning light is such a treat! I will definitely be back for next year (and may seek out some other festivals in the area)!
Thanks, Jan.
Balloons, no matter how many or how few, are wonderful! They are so colorful you can’t help but smile.
You’d be surprised at how many there are around the country.
Laurie
You couldn’t have flown with a nicer guy. I flew balloons in the Denver area and Michael is one of the best. If you liked Albuquerque for photos you should come and fly the Colorado front range as the trees are changing and there is snow on the mountain tops.
For other folks you can contact Michael at http://www.lifecycleballoons.com
Gary
I have to agree! I’m in colorado now and was hoping to fly with Michael but, not enough time. Maybe next visit.
I really enjoy your photos. Thanks for your tip on the auto ISO. I sometimes use that myself for action shots. We had met on a flight last Thanksgiving at the airport flying from Salt Lake City to Albuquerque.
Bob Adams
Hi Bob,
I’m glad ou picked up a tip or two from the post. Thanks for the comments.