After a long week last week, I really didn’t want to get up super early on a Saturday morning to watch a balloon launch. I really didn’t. I mean, I had photographed it last year with success but was I really going to get anything new? Wasn’t sleep more important? But my husband set his alarm, and I figured if he actually got up and ready then we would go. Well, he did. He got up and wrangled us all out of the house to the Albany Art and Air Festival in time for the launch.
And guess what happened… the fun of photographing a new subject took over. Armed only with my iPhone this year, I set out to see what I could do. I started with the standard still photographs, but it was when the balloons started launching and I switched to the Slow Shutter Cam app that I really had some fun. I could see that I was capturing some great possibilities. I played with movement and timing and direction. With moving balloons and a moving camera there was no opportunity for retakes, so I just went with the flow. It doesn’t take long for all of the balloons to launch – maybe 15 or 20 minutes – so before I knew it, it was over and I had ~150 new photographs on my camera roll.
What next? See what I could do with them, editing with some apps, of course.
And wow, that’s where the fun really began… Starting with this one, where I worked and worked to get the color and brightness just right. Don’t you love how the balloon just pops off the rest of the image?
I thought it couldn’t get any better, but then I worked on this one, which I call Liftoff. The photograph was captured with that double exposure, I didn’t layer that. LOVE!!
I was so happy with those two, I thought I would be done. But no… Here’s the next one, Dream Flight. This one is a composite of two images, playing around with the placement of the balloons relative to each other within the frame. I love the colors, and how the balloons just blend away into the background. Dreamy…
As of yesterday, this last one was my favorite. But we’ll see if that holds, because each time I touch these photographs more magic seems to happen.
And here I wanted to sleep in. Ha! This was a good reminder: When given the option, which is more important, sleep or photographs?
Photographs, of course. Now wasn’t it worth while. I love what you have done with the pictures, a most pleasing ethereal effect.
Vi
It was so worth the while… but I didn’t do it both days and now I’m regretting it!
What a brilliant post today. The last two really are magical!
Rinda
Oh, thanks Rinda! I love the term “magical” applied to my photographs. Gives me warm fuzzies. 🙂
So beautifully ethereal and dreamlike.
Thanks Brenda!
Hi Kat – really enjoyed your POV from the Saturday morning launch. Good stuff!
Thanks Jones! Did you get out and shoot too?
These are beautiful and I love the double exposure one as well as the first misty one.
Thank you Carolyn! It’s fun to hear which ones you like.
omg! Of course! Photograph!!! These are fabulous!
Thanks!! I’m having fun.
I’m never sorry I got up early to shoot, well, never sorry once I’m out of the bed and shooting away.
Very cool images. Love the lead one and the one where the sky is yellow. Very interesting and creative processing. I was just thinking of your Italy photos-and the complete contrast to what you’re creating now. I see your interest in painting coming out.
See you in a few for PHC.
Yeah, Susan, I see my interest in painting coming out too. I always thought the photography and painting would merge somehow… I just didn’t foresee it this way! See you on Sunday for PHC and don’t miss the giveaway I posted today.