2024 RIverton Rendezvouz

August 10, 2024 by Elliot Nahm in Balloons

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.

The rally went off well. They got to fly two of three days, and I got to meet more balloon people. What about the pictures? Well, unexpectedly, I became an impromptu crew chief. That position required me to be more hands on with the balloon and I didn’t get many chances to make photos. Now, this wasn’t a bad thing; ballooning is fun. However, I don’t have much to show afterward.

Will I go again next year? Maybe. Just like me going to Driggs, ID for the Teton Valley Balloon Rally, going to Riverton, WY, is a long drive. About 12.5 hours from Albuquerque. Doing these long drives for two events in one month was… tiring. I don’t know if I can do it again. I will have to give this more thought.

Anyway, check out the eight pictures I got.

2024 Angel Fire and Driggs

July 10, 2024 by Elliot Nahm in Balloons

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.

2023 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

October 15, 2023 by Elliot Nahm in Balloons

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.

2023 White Sands Balloon Invitational

September 19, 2023 by Elliot Nahm in Balloons

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.

2022 Teton Valley Balloon Rally

July 05, 2022 by Elliot Nahm in Balloons

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.

2022 Rio Grande Classic

June 29, 2022 by Elliot Nahm in Balloons

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.

2021 Red Rock Balloon Rally

January 14, 2022 by Elliot Nahm in Balloons

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.

2021 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

December 10, 2021 by Elliot Nahm in Balloons

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.

2021 Teton Valley Balloon Rally

July 05, 2021 by Elliot Nahm in Balloons

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!

The Fiesta That Didn't Happen

February 14, 2021 by Elliot Nahm in Balloons

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.

2019 Red Rock Balloon Rally

December 19, 2019 by Elliot Nahm in Balloons

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.

September Happened

November 04, 2019 by Elliot Nahm in Balloons

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.

The 2019 Albuquerque Internation Balloon Fiesta

October 28, 2019 by Elliot Nahm in Balloons

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.

My First Hot Air Balloon Competition

June 12, 2019 by Elliot Nahm in Balloons

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.

February Happened

April 02, 2019 by Elliot Nahm in Balloons

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.

A Month Late: The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

November 19, 2018 by Elliot Nahm in Balloons

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.

The White Sands Balloon Invitational

September 22, 2018 by Elliot Nahm in Balloons

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.

The 2018 Colorado Springs Labor Day Liftoff

September 05, 2018 by Elliot Nahm in Balloons

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.

The Elephant Butte Balloon Regatta

August 27, 2018 by Elliot Nahm in Balloons

This past weekend was the Elephant Butte Balloon Regatta located at Elephant Butte State Park in New Mexico. I went for two of the three days as I was completely unaware of the media & sponsor day. I had an enjoyable experience overall but, I'm not sure if I would go to this particular festival again next year. I'll explain myself on that thought later.