"Onwards and Upwards", Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia
This photo was taken during the inaugural Yarra Valley Balloon Festival in October 2015. Couldn't have asked for a better morning!...
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This photo was taken during the inaugural Yarra Valley Balloon Festival in October 2015. Couldn't have asked for a better morning!
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Nov, 2015Views
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Awards
Action Award
Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 22
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
Legendary Award
People's Choice in The Road to Success Photo Challenge
People's Choice in Road to_______ Photo Challenge
People's Choice in Going on an adventure! Photo Challenge
Staff Winter Selection 2015
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Peer Award
All Star
Magnificent Capture
Love it
Superior Skill
Top Ranks
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in Tarrawarra, Victoria during the inaugural Yarra Valley Balloon Festival.Time
It was taken just after sunrise at approximately 6:50am. This photo was actually taken towards the end of the entire shoot as I had arrived in the area at around 4.30am with the expectation of seeing 10+ hot air balloons in the sky above the Yarra Valley that morning. The previous afternoon I had driven around the area and found a few decent vantage points - this being one of them - and I was surprised to find no-one else driving around madly following the path of the balloons as they floated through the sky.Lighting
I must admit that the rising sun being almost exactly in line with the road was a complete fluke, and I actually had no prior warning of where the balloons were taking off from or where they would drift. Having the balloons backlit by the sun, along with the fog resting among the trees, was the best possible result.Equipment
I used a Sony A7 with a Sony FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS lens. There wasn't any time to set up a tripod - I had to capture the moment as quickly as possible! And I'd also utilised the roof of my car as a viewing platform in other photos I'd taken throughout the morning.Inspiration
The organisers of the Yarra Valley Balloon Festival were running a photography competition, with a prize being awarded for the best photo taken on this particular morning. Unfortunately I had no hope of winning as the decision was put down to a Facebook vote at the last minute, however I am still thrilled with the result and I think it's the best photo I've taken to date.Editing
I utilised Capture One with this photo. I don't like to over-process images as I prefer them to speak for themselves and be as realistic as possible; fortunately, all I had to do was a bit of sharpening and HDR to reduce the glare from the sun, and to remove a few dust spots. The original photo was actually taken in portrait orientation, so I ended up cropping a large amount of sky and road to create the end product.In my camera bag
I only have two lenses: my Sony FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS and a Samyang 14mm wide angle lens. The Sony lens is fairly new on the market and I bought it because I wanted one lens that I could easily take with me when I travel, rather than having to lug around multiple lenses. Not being a professional photographer (yet :-) ) I'm not particularly picky when it comes to equipment. My Samyang lens only comes with me when I have room in my luggage! I also have a Manfrotto tripod and a decent lens smudge cleaner/brush in my camera bag, which is a PacSafe Camsafe V5 antitheft bum bag. It's an excellent bag in which I can fit my camera and Sony lens, my wallet, phone and other bits and pieces and have it all within easy reach.Feedback
Always be on the lookout for photo opportunities, even those that are a bit unusual or don't occur very often (in this instance, an annual hot air balloon festival). If rising before dawn, don't be late!!! Always allow extra time because excellent photos can be taken before there's even a hint of light in the sky - almost no-one else will be inclined to put in this extra effort, and thus your photos will be genuinely unique. I enjoy the challenge of taking photos that I know nobody else will take. Find a different vantage point away from the crowd. That way, you truly own the scene you've captured.
