Balloons Galore and More

The beauty of sunrise in the San Joaquin Valley is layered depending on the amount of smog in the air, whether there are clouds over the Sierra Nevada, or whether some man-made art gets in the picture. The hot air balloon lift off yesterday morning in Ripon certainly added to God's touch by painting the sky with bold and lavish colors.

Thankfully, they let the photographing hordes get as close as possible, which proves that these balloon people are extremely long on patience. I only had one of them warn me about stepping on a rope that was a safety hazard.

Shooting these events requires speed, agility and an eye for the bold and beautiful. Throw in the artistic and you're guaranteed some winners. Don't be afraid to zoom in close, shoot from the ground up and expect the unexpected. It will be pretty dark when they start firing up, so you may want to boost your ISO a bit. But remember to lower it as soon as the sun comes up (unless you've got one of those $2500 cameras without any noise at 1600 ISO).

The main thing when shooting is to try to enjoy the moment. Don't get so caught up in the perfect angle and color that you don't relish the noise of the burners, the smell of the propane and the expertise of the balloonists as they coordinate the dozens of volunteers who help them get their balloons off the ground. Talk to people. Be friendly. Smile a lot. Remember, you're not getting paid to do this. Although I did run into Clifford Oto, one of the photographers of the Stockton Record who was there on assignment. You'll see a few pictures of him at work in this series. Clifford has a blog, so he may comment on his visit: Clifford's Blog.

This is a two-day event that includes:

-- Pancake breakfast (with two sausage links, scrambled eggs and juice or milk)
-- Lots of vendor booths
-- National Anthem
-- Tethered balloon rides
-- Two running events
-- Wizard of Oz's 'Dorothy' and Toto
-- Professional kite performances
-- Skydiver show
-- Schaffer Tae Kwon DO demonstration
-- Air George helicopter landing
-- Cannon Acrobatics
-- Yes Company performance
-- Tri-tip lunch
-- Kite show and Candy drop
-- Desert Wind Dancers

And that's all done by 1:00 or so. This is a fund raising event for the Children's Hospital of San Joaquin.

I'll try to be there again next year - and take my rather-be-snoozing wife. She'll thank me in the end!