When I arrived in New Mexico, I knew there were two events which I wanted to attend and photograph, the International Hot Air Balloon Festival which Albuquerque is famous for since it is the largest annual hot air balloon festival in the world and the Crane Festival at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge which celebrates the return of the Sandhill Cranes and other wintering birds to New Mexico. For this article, I will tell you about the International Hot Air Balloon Festival. As an amateur nature photographer, I spend most of my weekends outside. You might wonder what do Hot Air Balloons have to do with nature photography? That’s a good question. Maybe it is their gravity defying nature while they are so vulnerable to the elements. For me hot air balloons are symbols of Albuquerque and New Mexico. Every day when I drive to work, there are hot air balloons floating over the city of Albuquerque. Sometimes there is only one and on other days there are 13. On the weekends is not unusual to see 30 hot air balloons floating above the city. The state motto for New Mexico is land of enchantment. For me seeing a hot air balloon is a daily reminder that I live in the land of enchantment. As a new resident in the State of New Mexico, I spent the past year traveling around on the weekends to state parks and national parks, wildlife refuges, and other green spaces within this state. I enjoy nature photography. It is a very fun and enjoyable hobby for me because it provides an opportunity to explore the world around me. I post my photographs online because I want to share what I have seen with others. I hope my photographs inspire them to explore and record what they see. I hope people enjoy my photos as much as I do. When I know that people enjoy my photos, that excites me. It makes me want to explore, photograph, and share more photographs online. By engaging in nature photography, I have learned to live in the moment. Whether it is a sunrise or an animal, one has to be quick because the moment can change in an instant. The sun will continue to rise and the animal can move or fly away and photograph that I intended to take could be gone. So, you have to take the photograph when you see it. The Annual International Hot Air Balloon Festival lends itself to photography because the hot air balloons are so colorful and uniquely-shaped. At the International Hot Air Balloon Park in Albuquerque, NM this past fall, the excitement began at 5:30 am with the sound of propane filling the balloons with hot air so the dawn patrol balloon squad could rise to the sky to check atmospheric conditions. Once the all clear sign was given, hot air balloons across the field began to fill with air. It was an awe-inspiring sight and there is a joy that mushrooms inside of you as the balloons fill with air and lift from the ground in defiance of gravity. Hot air balloons surrounded me as I stood in the middle of the park taking photographs in every direction. As soon as a row of hot air balloons filled with air and rose toward the sky leaving an empty patch of grass down below, a new set of hot air balloon crews would fill the empty space by laying out their hot air balloon fabric and quickly filling it with hot air so the next set of balloons could take to the sky. From 6 am to 9:30, the International Hot Air Balloon Park was bustling with activity. From seemingly out of nowhere, you could turn around and be greeted by new rows of hot air balloons which quickly transitioned from limp fabric to plump balloons to a floating dream. It was magic. By 9:30 am, the event was over and I was grinning from ear-to-ear knowing the International Hot Air Balloon Festival would continue for 9 more days. It was a fun, colorful, and excitement-filled event for all who attended.
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Amazing story @KayWard Thanx for sharing!
Hi @KayWard
Thanks for sharing this story! That looks like so much fun! I love the colors. Did you have the chance to go on the hot air balloon? I’ve never been on one, but I can imagine how cool it must be.
There is a similar place in Turkey, Cappadocia, where they have this kind of an event and looks really beautiful when all the hot air balloons are up in the air. I would love to experience something like this one day hopefully.
Thanks!