Barnstorming

It was a stormy, stormy night – not the best of conditions for a hot air balloon rally. But that didn’t keep the barnstormers from flying, even with the threatening storm clouds.

We were in Wausau last weekend for their annual balloon rally, and Friday night was set for the Balloon Glow – where the balloons are lit up at dusk by the propane flames used to inflate the balloons.

Unfortunately, the weather didn’t completely cooperate, with the threat of thunderstorms. A few balloons, however, braved the conditions and were inflated.

Balloon Glow

It really is something to see these massive balloons being held to the ground by a few ropes and several people hanging to the basket, as the propane heats the air and creates the lift to carry it aloft.

In order to get a proper exposure with a minimum of movement blur, I used a tripod and upped the ISO to 400, shooting this for 1/30 sec at f/7.1. With the slow speed, you can see some movement blur as the handlers strain to keep the balloon on the ground, but the balloon itself is captured without blurring.

Filling the Balloon

Saturday morning was clear and we had high hopes for the launch of 20-25 hot air balloons. Again, though, the weather didn’t cooperate, grounding most of the balloons due to high winds.

Several balloons did inflate, though, and a number were launched. Watching the balloons as they were inflated was interesting – here you can see the flames from a propane tank heating the air as it inflates the balloon. Notice the trees behind the propane flame – the heated air distorts the view and the trees look much like an abstract painting.

You can see more of the balloons by clicking here. And to see where these photos were taken, click here: