Convertibles & Cappadocia
Cappadocia, Turkey. 06:00am. 12 October 2016
Find out how David utilizes an incredible opportunity to shoot striking images of classic cars against a backdrop of colourful balloons
Be prepared. A scouting motto, but also a mantra for a successful photographic career. I can’t tell you the amount of times I have changed angles entirely on a shoot, but when opportunity comes knocking for you, it is foolish not to grasp it.
I have run yearly photographic experiences shooting Cappadocia’s incredible landscape since 2016. I've also seen the demographic of tourists change considerably, all because of viral posts on Instagram highlighting an impossible dream – styled shoots with beautiful girls wearing flowing dresses, surrounded by a hundred balloons, bathed in luscious golden light. Alongside the salt pools at Pamukkale and the mosques in Istanbul,
Cappadocia is a premier export for Turkey’s tourism industry.
The desert landscape is made of layers of sedimentary rock, the fallout from no less than three volcanos. Erosion over the millennia has caused unique shapes to form as the sediment erodes at different speeds. This causes spires, mushrooms, caves, chimneys and many other shapes to form, the caves being inhabited right up until the 1950s.
After a fantastic shoot from the skies earlier in the week, my group and I spent one of the last mornings at one of the balloon launch sites. With upwards of a hundred balloons launching into the sky every morning, each company is given an allotted take-off location, and these make great places to shoot balloons and soak up the excitement. We start with a low-light shoot by arriving early, at around 6:00am. With deep blue skies and the last few remaining stars, the flickering glow of burners lights up the rock faces of the Rose Valley. Our cameras are set to ISO3200, apertures are set wide at f/4 in Aperture Priority, shutter speed is slow at 1/80 sec, and we're using a cool white balance (4500K). The balloons are inflated by firstly blowing cold air into the parachute, with the burner and basket lying on its side. Then the burner is lit and there's about five minutes before the balloon lifts and it starts to right itself. We keep to the sides, firing off more than enough frames to capture the moment.
The balloons are airborne. Smiles, waving, and a lot of excitement surround us, but there’s almost too much to take in. One of my favourite approaches is to swap to a long lens and keep my eye on the surrounding rock faces. Low flying
balloons can silhouette perfectly against the jagged rocks; any lower and they will surely pop! The Canon EF 100-400mm f/4-5.6l IS is perfect for this. Again, keeping the ISO high is a good move. The light has lifted, so I drop it to ISO1600.
To our left I can see three brightly coloured classic cars on top of a small ridge. We wander over and it’s here that the fun really begins. Three shoots are going on, all to a backdrop of colourful balloons. A wedding shooting with a red
Cadillac style vehicle, some friends with a blue convertible, and this incredible pink two-door open top. All three shoots are Chinese, some with pro photographers, some with mobile phones. The bold colours and shapes make it eye-catching.
I'm poised, now armed with my EF 24-70mm f/4l, waiting for the right array of balloons to drift into the backdrop. The girl in the pink car looks towards the sky – I frame the scene at 50mm, a wider f/5.6 aperture softly blurs the balloons. The arrangement is absolutely perfect. Moments later a girl waves at the passing balloon and the passengers wave back.
Sod running around at night, light painting in the dusty desert for a living. This really is travel photography at its most perfect.
“The balloons are airborne. Smiles, waving, and a lot of excitement surround us”
NEXT MONTH LAKE DISTRICT