2024 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
No blog. Just photos.
Read More2024 Red Rock Balloon Rally
I was fortunate to enjoy a flight on the first day and get a bunch more photos on the second day. The third day was predicted to have poor weather, so I skipped out on it.
Read More2024 RIverton Rendezvouz
I attended the Riverton Rendezvous on July 19th through the 21st. Andy, the balloon meister had been entreating me to go for the past four years. This year I figured that I should give it a try.
Read More2024 Angel Fire and Driggs
I went to Balloons Over Angel Fire and Teton Valley Balloon Rally in June and July. Great rallies in smaller tourist towns. If you can afford the travel and lodging, you’re in for a good time. The locations look fabulous. The pilots love coming to these smaller but tightly knit events. And there be hot balloons. Everything you could want for a fun weekend event is there.
Read More2023 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
This past week was the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Nine days of hot air ballooning with over 500 balloons participating. I must open with that this year’s Fiesta went very well especially compared to last year. Just two mass ascensions and one balloon glow weren’t possible due to high winds. So, most of the event was able to proceed rather smoothly.
Read More2023 White Sands Balloon Invitational
This past weekend, Alamogordo hosted the 2023 White Sands Balloon Invitational. I participated on the Saturday and Sunday of the event. Unlike previous years, the event took place in White Sands National Park on Saturday rather than Sunday. This is the main appeal of the event, but it comes with many challenges for flying.
Read More2022 Teton Valley Balloon Rally
The Teton Valley Balloon Rally (TVBR) was held this past Fourth of July holiday weekend - wait, hold up, two blog posts within seven day? What happened to the real Elliot? I’m still alive, or, at least I think I am. The fourteen hour drive one-way to and from really does a number on the body.
Read More2022 Rio Grande Classic
During Memorial Day Weekend, I covered the Rio Grande Classic hosted by the local hot air ballooning club, Top Gun Ballooning. The past two years had been canceled thanks to the COVID pandemic so it was nice to see familiar faces again.
Read More2021 Red Rock Balloon Rally
Hello, friends, I finally edited the photos that I made during the 2021 Red Rock Balloon Rally. I met many friends that I hadn’t seen in a long while, and I met another for the first time (we only conversed on Instagram). I really enjoy this balloon festival, and it’s my favorite thus far. The location is beautiful, and the community around the event puts together a great tailgate party.
Read More2021 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
Okay, it is December 9th, two months after the Balloon Fiesta and I still haven’t published this blog post yet. I’ll keep this short.
Read More2021 Teton Valley Balloon Rally
So this past 4th of July weekend, I made a little road trip to Driggs, Idaho for their 40th Teton Valley Balloon Rally. Situated in the Teton Valley with a clear view of Grand Teton itself, this was an event that I knew I couldn’t miss! Oh, and when I say “little road trip”, I mean that it was a absolute pain in the butt to drive each way. Seriously, sitting down for around 15 hours each way doesn’t feel good. It was worth it though!
Read MoreThe Fiesta That Didn't Happen
Alright, I almost never published these images. This event occurred way back in October, 2020 in place of the well renown Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Damn pandemic… While it was neat that balloons still flew, we all know that it was nothing close to the usual spectacle.
Read More2019 Red Rock Balloon Rally
This balloon festival became my favorite when I first experienced it in 2017. The large red rocks flanking the launch sites makes for a good photography experience. Add some observers on top of the rocks, and there’s a great sense of scale of how large the hot air balloons and the rocks are. The Red Rock Balloon Rally also has the added benefit of being one of the largest balloon rallies in the United States. The website used to state that the festival was the second largest balloon rally but, I guess it is no longer… There really is no contest here; the Red Rock Balloon Rally is the most visually stunning festival in the southwest.
Read MoreSeptember Happened
Two hot air balloon festivals occurred in September: The White Sands Balloon Invitational (WSBI), and the Elephant Butte Balloon Regatta (EBBR). I went with high hopes to both of them, and photographically came up short. Don’t get me wrong though, these were still fun to attend.
Read MoreThe 2019 Albuquerque Internation Balloon Fiesta
The Balloon Fiesta began on October 5th, and ended on the 13th - plus one more day for crewing. Ten grueling days of photography, balloon crewing, and work. For those who had been observing my posts on Instagram, the theme was all about fatigue. I just had to make it to the end. Being on my feet for about 14 hours a day; working a 40 hour work week at my full-time job plus more. After the events, my feet were actually hurting for another three days.
Read MoreMy First Hot Air Balloon Competition
This ballooning event was a bit different than other ones that I have participated in. There were no general public spectators, and there was no established launch field. For this event, the balloons were expected to come to designated targets (there are other missions to complete but I won’t delve into that). There were also some restrictions on the photographers but, those restrictions simply needed the photographers to ask first, then proceed. Pretty easy going.
Read MoreFebruary Happened
February, did you enjoy that month? I think I did. But, it could’ve been better. To keep things short, the Friends & Lovers Balloon Rally (Albuquerque, NM) had one successful day of flying. The Kanab Balloons & Tunes (Kanab, UT) was weathered out on all three days. The event in Utah was more of a bummer since I had driven many hours to get there; taken work days off which I could have saved instead; and I got fatter.
Read MoreA Month Late: The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
Oh, boy, it has been over a month since the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, and I hadn’t made a blog post about it yet. Until now. Why the delay? I don’t really have a good excuse other than the event made me super-exhausted and I just couldn’t be bothered to do anything more with it once it ended. Keep in mind that my photography for these balloon events are not financially motivated yet (I would certainly like to be paid but that’s not happening) so I have zero obligations to really get this kind of stuff done right away. But, that’s just lazy so, I can’t really say that there was much reason for holding this off.
Read MoreThe White Sands Balloon Invitational
Last weekend I made the drive down to Alamogordo, New Mexico to participate in the White Sands Balloon Invitational (WSBI). In so far as I know, this is the only balloon festival that I’ve encountered that takes place within National Park grounds. I’ve visited White Sands Nat’l Monument once earlier this year, and I was thoroughly impressed by it. So… balloons + white sand dunes should be a winning combination. Well, it sure would be but, I just didn’t get the chance to photograph what I wanted. More on that later.
Read MoreThe 2018 Colorado Springs Labor Day Liftoff
To sum up my photography experience during this festival, it was: cloudy. Personally, I have a very difficult time photographing balloon festivals when it's cloudy. Good light is obscured, the sky gets blown out way too easily, and the balloon colors are dulled. In scenarios like this, it's always good to have a backup plan. For me, while it wasn't a photography related plan, I planned on crewing for "Vacation" piloted by Janet who I had previously met at the Elephant Butte Balloon Regatta. Had it not been me being occupied with crewing, I think my overall experience would have been poor since I wasn't getting the photos I wanted.
Read More