This morning was a wonderful day to see the hot air balloons for BalloonFest lift off. We left the house about 0530 for a 0600 lift off time and the temperature was 65 degrees. When we arrived at the launch site at Wet and Wild Waterworld, the sun was beginning to rise and the temperature was cool but bearable. While we had to wait until about 0630 for the balloons to rise, the wait was not a terrible inconvenience.
The festival featured a Yoda Balloon and a Darth Vader Balloon that towered over the people as we all walked around to see the beautifully color balloons that rose to the sky and travelled away. Besides the featured balloons, most of the other participants were classical colorful balloons. The event spaced their flights out throughout our two hour visit.
As a family we loved seeing each balloon rise to sky and as a photographer—I enjoyed the opportunity to take pictures at different angles with different light. Photographing balloons is a great way to practice. There is plenty of room to move around and get the shot, then lift off is fairly planned, and the subject is constantly changing. For the last two years of visiting balloons festivals, I have had a blast!
The BalloonFest was a great start of the day. It is a great family activity—my daughter, Mary Catherine, even brought her camera and joined in taking pictures. The other children simply enjoyed being outside and watching these massive colorful balloons take flight. I have found that this is not an event to miss!