I recently spent eight days in New Mexico, photographing in and around Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos. My first morning in Albuequerque coincided with the first Sunday of the Balloon Fiesta. I hadn’t planned to shoot hot air balloons, but this was an opportunity not to be missed. I arrived at the grounds two hours before dawn. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I brought 2 cameras and 3 lenses. The first balloons began to inflate in complete darkness. When the burners would start, the balloons would suddenly begin to glow. The bursts of color would last only for a few seconds so it was tricky to get a shot. This shot was 1/50th of a second at f/1.8 and ISO 800.
Tags: Albuquerque, Balloons, Hot Air Balloons, New Mexico