Settings and lenses

Versatility is key here, as you want to be creative without needing to change lenses too often

Fast shutter speed

Although balloons move at a slow pace, you’ll want to use a relatively fast shutter relative to your focal length. Even if you have steady hands it will help to beat blur.

Medium ISO

Unless it’s a bright day, a mediumto-high ISO can help achieve a fast shutter speed. Depending on how bright it is, try between ISO400 and ISO800 as a starting point.

Creative aperture

Use aperture creatively – to blur the background, stop down to f/2.8 and focus on something nearby, or increase to f/8, f/11 or f/16 if you want to keep everything in focus.

Wide and long

Changing lenses mid-flight means you can lose out on shots (or even drop a precious lens out of the basket!), so a superzoom is probably your best option.