I couldn’t decide whether to post this or the color version of the same exact comp. My last couple of posts from the balloon rally were in color, so this won out. I’ll save the other for some future date when I haven’t been out shooting and I’m desperate for something to upload.
I arrived at the balloon rally at about 6:15am, in plenty of time to get a good spot on the bridge. For my way of thinking this would be the west side, so I could shoot with the sun behind my back, gently illuminating the balloons in front of me. On the east side, you’re shooting into the sun, and catching the shady side of the balloons. I was surprised that most of the people went straight for the east side when they got there. I didn’t panic. Even though several balloons skipped over my side and went straight for the bigger area, several did drop in on my side first. The result is what you see here. I believe I got a much better lit scene by sticking to my guns and keeping my spot.