That's One Way to Stop a Sneeze
As the "Humpty Dumpty" balloon was inflating and slowly rising from the grass, this young girl ran up and squeezed his nose at the last second. Santa Paula Citr...
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As the "Humpty Dumpty" balloon was inflating and slowly rising from the grass, this young girl ran up and squeezed his nose at the last second. Santa Paula Citrus Classic Balloon Festival. © Mitch Ridder Photography - All Rights Reserved 2014
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Jun, 2014Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This image was shot in Santa Paula, California at the 2012 Citrus Classic Balloon Festival.Time
Early morning, about 8:30 am.Lighting
Due to the sun rising behind me, I positioned myself for maximum morning light on my subject, this "Humpty Dumpty" balloon.Equipment
Canon EOS 50D, Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS, B+H polarizer filter.Inspiration
This final image was due to timing, being in the right place at the right time and a little luck. I intended to only shoot Humpty Dumpty's face as it slowly revealed itself from the grass during inflation for his early morning flight. Way off to my left and out of frame stood a mother, father and their young daughter to watch as, "all the king's men tried to put Humpty Dumpty back together again ...". As I continued to shoot my sequence, the young girl couldn't resist and spontaneously broke away from her parents and ran up to give Humpty Dumpty's nose a big squeeze.Editing
Yes, I always post-process. Due to shooting RAW files, I use Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop CS6 to bring back the image's natural color, contrast and sharpness. If need be, I will also tone down over exposed areas and bring back a little lost detail in the under exposed shadow areas.In my camera bag
Canon EOS 50D, Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5, Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L, Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS, B+H polarizer and UV filters, spare memory cards and camera batteries, lens cleaning tissue and blower brush, a mini 5" tripod, a cable release cord and a headlamp for shooting in the dark.Feedback
Always watch what's going on around you, be ready, be alert. Though I lucked out this time with this shot, as a photojournalist, I not only react to what is going on around me, but I also try to anticipate what others might do whenever possible. Now that we are shooting digital, don't worry about taking too many shots, the more you shoot, the higher the percentages climb for strong images.
