Each October, hundreds of hot-air balloonists from around the world travel to New Mexico for the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. The event also draws thousands of spectators interested in seeing and photographing hundreds of hot-air balloons flying in the clear New Mexico sky
It’s estimated that one million pictures are taken at the action-packed festival each year. I’ve taken most of them. Only kidding! I have, however, photographed the event four times, and each time I seem to take more and more pictures.
One of my main goals at the Fiesta, in addition to getting a Breakfast Burrito at 5 a.m. when I arrive at the field, is to “tell the whole story” of the festival. That means taking as many different kinds of pictures as possible.
“Telling the whole story” is a useful technique to use when you travel to a destination. It helps you to think about communicating your experience to others through your pictures. It helps you get pictures suitable for a slide show or magazine article.
Here’s a look at just a few of the pictures – and techniques – I’ve used on one visit to tell the story of the ABF (as it’s known among balloon pilots) for my slide presentations.
1
One of the most dramatic – and photogenic – moments happens before the balloons launch. When the balloons are about halfway filled with air (from huge fans), pilots pull the burners and big bursts of flames rush into the balloons. It’s a great shot – but the timing must be “right on” to capture the flames, which last only a few seconds. I set my ISO on my Canon EOS 1D to 400 and set my 17-35mm lens to 24mm. I took several pictures in sequence so I’d have a good chance of capturing the drama of the moment.
2
Right before liftoff, dozens of inflated hot air balloons are tethered to the ground. It’s a beautiful sight. But the balloons block out much of the sky – and much of the available light. To capture the action on the ground before and during liftoff, I set the ISO on my Canon EOS 1D digital SLR to 400 and shot with my 17-35mm lens – which gives me creative composition options from a single shooting position.
3
Balloons usually lift off shortly after sunrise – when the air currents are perfect for ballooning. For brightly-lit scenes like this, I use an ISO 100 digital setting or ISO 100 film – because slower digital settings and films have less noise or grain (respectively) than higher settings or films. This picture,taken with my Canon EOS 1D, is cropped from the standard format for more impact – there was too much dead space at the top and bottom of the frame.
4
Here is a shot that is part of almost every ballooning story. I asked a pilot (most are very friendly and accommodating) if I could walk around inside his balloon (in my socks) while it was being inflated . .. . well in advance of the time he pulled the burners! I used my wide-angle zoom on my Canon EOS 1D set to 17mm and shot toward the topside of the balloon – which was perpendicular to the ground at that moment. Look closely and you can see the very small shadows of some people on the left side of the picture.
5
People are part of so many photo stories. When I’m shooting, I’m looking for an interesting person (or character) that will complement my story. This man, with a balloon reflected in his sunglasses, was a perfect subject. For this shot, I set my 17-35mm lens at 35mm. I shooting at ISO 100 with my Canon EOS 1D.
6
The glow from inside the colorful balloons is simply spectacular at the evening “balloon glow” event. To capture the light, I used an ISO setting of 400 on my Canon EOS 1D.
The ABF is one of many hot-air balloon shows held throughout the United States. Most events are listed on the Web site of the Balloon Federation of America: www.bfa.org. Hey, maybe I’ll see you at one – with my cameras hanging around my neck. We can “tell stories” together. By the way, although I shot all the pictures shown here with a digital SLR, there’s no reason you can’t do the same with a film SLR. Whatever you use, the basic ideas still apply.
Rick Sammon is author of The Complete Guide to Digital Photography, published by W. W. Norton
