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Category: Traditional Film Photography

Photography Question 

Deborah Bettencourt 		 

How to Photograph Hot Air Balloons at Dusk


I will be attending a Hot Air Balloon Festival in South Kingstown RI this Saturday. I'd love to get some good pictures but am unsure of what to consider for exposure, etc. I have a Nikon N80 and am slowly learning the ins and outs of TTL spot metering and how to carry through on that information.

I don't want to miss a great photo opportunity because I haven't mastered all of the exposure settings on my camera.

Thanks!


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July 21, 2005

 

John P. Sandstedt 		  Balloons rise in the early morning [around 6:30 am] and "dinner time" [around 6:30 pm. If it's not raining, there will be plenty of light.

Set your camera on Aperture Priority and a setting of f/11. Your camera will select the appropriate shutter speed. Rising balloons are lifting so quickly that you need to be concerned so long as the shutterspeed is 1/125 sec. or faster.

You should consider having apolarizer available so you can record dramatic blue skies and white puffy clouds. Be preapred for shutter speed impacts, but try to hold f/11.

Depending on what you're trying to capture, you may want to use a wide angle lens. But, if you want to focus on a single balloon, a telephoto might be the ticket. While I tend to set my AF-camera on single shot focus, the servo mode that will allow you to track ballon's rise may be better.

Be sure you start your shoot with a new 36-exposure roll of film.


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July 22, 2005

 

Andy 		 
 
 
A few more suggestions. Use saturated film. Capture a few frames when the balloons are inflating or waiting for the 'GO' signal. I will also use spot metering for exposure. I used mainly the telephoto lens at the 2002 NJ Hot Air Balloon Festival (it was drizzling that day and the sky was very gray). I am not sure if all the hot air balloon festival has the same rule, but the one I went to, like a car race, has a chase balloon. When you see the chase balloon lift off the ground, you'd better get ready to shift your gear into al servo mode and have a fresh roll of film in the camera. When the go signal is given, it will all happen so fast and overwhelming and they are gone in a short while.


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July 22, 2005

 

Bob Cammarata 		  Get into a good position early and meter manually off a bright color of one the balloons before liftoff. Whatever light is there will likely be prevalent throughout the display.

If it's sunny and bright try to get the sun behind you if you can. This will allow some color in the distant sky to record along with the balloons.
(If it's a gray cloudy day, your sky will wash out but that's expected.)

I agree with Andy to use a saturated film to make the colors of the balloons really stand out. (Fuji Velvia 50 would be my choice.)

I also agree that getting the "preparation" shots of the balloons being inflated and the workers performing this task are worth capturing.

Good luck tomorrow.


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July 22, 2005

 

Deborah Bettencourt 		 
 
 
Thank you all for your help! I panicked when the balloons inflated one and a half hours later than expected and the light wasn't as good as I'd planned for. I failed to anticipate the need for a tripod but somehow got shots I was satisfied with anyway at 1/60th. I was lucky that all of the balloons were tethered and I could shoot "at leisure".


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August 15, 2005

 

Deborah Bettencourt 		 
 
 
Thank you all for your help! I panicked when the balloons inflated one and a half hours later than expected and the light wasn't as good as I'd planned for. I failed to anticipate the need for a tripod but somehow got shots I was satisfied with anyway at 1/60th. I was lucky that all of the balloons were tethered and I could shoot "at leisure".


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August 15, 2005

 
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