How To Photograph Hot Air Balloons
Last Friday, Chris Healy, owner of Above The Clouds Hot Air Balloon Rides, invited us out to photograph and film two of his hot air balloons as they carried passengers in whatever direction the wind took them. Having seen some of our previous work (including a shot of his balloons that I took when I first started with photography), Chris thought it would be great to have some ‘professionals’ on site to capture some updated images of his balloons as well as the experience for the passengers.
In order to photograph his balloons properly and capture the entire experience from beginning to end, we had to arrive at Randall airfield early. Since the balloons inflate quickly, we needed to be there before they even began to get things ready so we could position ourselves without getting in anyone’s way.
Chris had both balloons laid out on the field and when the last passenger arrived, he began blowing them up. Since the balloons are extremely long, a wider lens was definitely needed to capture as much of the balloon as possible. Once they were inflated enough, Chris started firing the propane flames into them …
My brother, Sean, was doing all of the filming for us and at one point was given the permission to walk into the top of the balloon and film Chris shooting the flames. If you’ve ever been near one of these things, you know that when those flames fire … they are very, very hot! I thought I lost my eyebrows at one point!
Once both of the balloons were up, the passengers moved in. Since Chris was looking for new shots for his website, I moved in closer and laid on the ground the grab a shot of the passengers with part of the balloon, basket and flame in the shot …
This gave me some great images of the passengers and the excitement that they were experiencing. Since the balloons are slow to get off the ground, this provided me the opportunity to grab some individual shots of the balloons as well as wider shots of the two of them. Because they take a little bit to get going, I had plenty of time to mess with my settings to capture different looks in-camera so Chris had a variety of images to choose from …
Once the balloons had cleared the field, we followed the chase cars around Middletown and Goshen. Since the calmest weather is early in the morning or later in the evening (about two hours before sunset), we knew that we’d get some great shots with the sunset as well. Even though balloons are very colorful, I find that a nice silhouette shot can be just as powerful …
As both of the rides came to an end and we started capturing the final images for the day, we made sure to stay out of the crew’s way as they have a lot to do before the sun goes down and they run out of light. One of the balloons landed in a parking lot while the other touched down in the black dirt onion fields of Goshen.
Part of the tradition of hot air ballooning includes a champagne toast at the end of the ride (to find out the full story as to why, book a flight with Above The Clouds … you won’t be dissappointed!). We were close by when the newly engaged couple, who landed in the onion fields, received their toast which capped a beautiful flight for them …
In the next few weeks, we will be flying with Chris and Above The Clouds to capture the second series of shots and video of his balloons from the air. We’ll be sure to bring those shots to you as well!
