I thought I’d try my hand at a triptych, and this situation just made it easy for me:
A few weeks back, I went to the Rocky Mountain Balloon Festival, just to see what kind of pictures I could get. I was lucky that the first day of the festival (“Press Day,” a Friday) happened to be a day off for me.
Based on my experiences, “Press Day” at a balloon festival basically means four things:
- No concessions
- Fewer balloons
- Dramatically fewer spectators
- Lots of photographers
So these two guys identified themselves as press photographers, and asked the balloon pilot if they could get a shot from inside the envelope when he kicked in the burner. Once they had their shoes off (to avoid doing damage), they were on their way in.
For what it’s worth, the flames look dramatic but only extend 10 or 15 feet into the envelope. Meanwhile, the photographers are easily twice that far in (hot air balloons are big). Next year, I think I’ll have to look for a situation like this and tag along.
Get the RSS Feed