One fantastic subject, six ways to shoot it

Here are six ideas for taking creative images at a balloon festival. What others can you think of?

01 Static

Shoot the balloon on its side or from the top to get that melting look. Move quickly and keep shooting – you will probably only have two opportunities to get these images, at the beginning and end of your flight. Be safe at all times, and avoid tripping over the balloon ropes.

02 Inflating

Get inside the balloon or shoot through the fabric (symmetry can be suitable here, or the rule of thirds). If you’re lucky the balloon will be positioned into the sun and the fabric will be bright and colourful. Get a variety of landscape and portrait-oriented photos in this situation.

03 Inflated

Capture the fire roaring up into the balloon, but be careful not to over-expose. Use full manual mode here, as aperture-priority or shutter-priority mode will struggle to expose correctly as the flames flicker and burn different colours during the inflation.

04 Going up

If you’re taking pictures at a festival, try to capture the mass ascent – there’s something poetic about the repeated pattern of fiery globes soaring in the sky. Try zooming in on a tight cluster, or zoom out to include the landscape and reveal the bigger picture.

05 Bird’s eye view

Shoot up (or down) at higher (or lower) flying balloons. Most people never see balloons from this angle, so it offers a fresh perspective. Work with the sun as you rotate into the sky; side lighting looks beautiful on balloons.

06 Clouds and landmarks

If you’re fortunate enough to see them as you ascend, capture some striking clouds. You’re a slave to the weather, but think texture and complementing shapes. If you can combine the clouds with landmarks in the background (or even a factory producing a billow of steam), all the better.