It’s another year, another February, and another balloon rally has passed. This time it’s Friends and Lovers which is put on by the AAAA balloon club in Albuquerque. However, rather than having the event in Albuquerque the event has been in Rio Rancho starting from last year. Last year got snowed out so I guess this is truly the first year of being in Rio Rancho.
Read MoreAnother balloon rally has started [again] near Albuquerque: the Mesilla Valley Balloon Rally. I’ve been told that it has been fourteen years since the last rally. I’m glad that there’s another rally that I can attend within four hours of my home. A pilot friend invited me to crew for her and even paid for my hotel room. Many thanks to my pilot friend!
Read MoreNo blog. Just photos.
Read MoreI was fortunate to enjoy a flight on the first day and get a bunch more photos on the second day. The third day was predicted to have poor weather, so I skipped out on it.
Read MoreI attended the Riverton Rendezvous on July 19th through the 21st. Andy, the balloon meister had been entreating me to go for the past four years. This year I figured that I should give it a try.
Read MoreI went to Balloons Over Angel Fire and Teton Valley Balloon Rally in June and July. Great rallies in smaller tourist towns. If you can afford the travel and lodging, you’re in for a good time. The locations look fabulous. The pilots love coming to these smaller but tightly knit events. And there be hot balloons. Everything you could want for a fun weekend event is there.
Read MoreHey, everyone, long time no blog as usual. This time I have made a little video expressing my thoughts on the Hasselblad X1Dii-50c, a camera I’ve had since late 2020. I would normally write about the video itself but… I don’t feel like doing that.
Read MoreThis past week was the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Nine days of hot air ballooning with over 500 balloons participating. I must open with that this year’s Fiesta went very well especially compared to last year. Just two mass ascensions and one balloon glow weren’t possible due to high winds. So, most of the event was able to proceed rather smoothly.
Read MoreThis past weekend, Alamogordo hosted the 2023 White Sands Balloon Invitational. I participated on the Saturday and Sunday of the event. Unlike previous years, the event took place in White Sands National Park on Saturday rather than Sunday. This is the main appeal of the event, but it comes with many challenges for flying.
Read MoreUh… ha. I uploaded the pictures first with the intention of writing something to go along with the photos. But, here we are near the end of November and I had totally forgotten that I never published this. So, no write up here. Just photos.
Read MoreThe Teton Valley Balloon Rally (TVBR) was held this past Fourth of July holiday weekend - wait, hold up, two blog posts within seven day? What happened to the real Elliot? I’m still alive, or, at least I think I am. The fourteen hour drive one-way to and from really does a number on the body.
Read MoreDuring Memorial Day Weekend, I covered the Rio Grande Classic hosted by the local hot air ballooning club, Top Gun Ballooning. The past two years had been canceled thanks to the COVID pandemic so it was nice to see familiar faces again.
Read MoreHello, friends, I finally edited the photos that I made during the 2021 Red Rock Balloon Rally. I met many friends that I hadn’t seen in a long while, and I met another for the first time (we only conversed on Instagram). I really enjoy this balloon festival, and it’s my favorite thus far. The location is beautiful, and the community around the event puts together a great tailgate party.
Read MoreOkay, it is December 9th, two months after the Balloon Fiesta and I still haven’t published this blog post yet. I’ll keep this short.
Read MoreSo this past 4th of July weekend, I made a little road trip to Driggs, Idaho for their 40th Teton Valley Balloon Rally. Situated in the Teton Valley with a clear view of Grand Teton itself, this was an event that I knew I couldn’t miss! Oh, and when I say “little road trip”, I mean that it was a absolute pain in the butt to drive each way. Seriously, sitting down for around 15 hours each way doesn’t feel good. It was worth it though!
Read MoreThis past Memorial Day Weekend was when the Rio Grande Classic competition took place. Hosted by the Top Gun Ballooning Club, around 30 pilots participated in demonstrating their skills for some prizes. I was there to photograph the event as a volunteer along with another photographer who also was a judge.
Read MoreAbout a year later, I have done a second photo shoot at my workplace, Best Buy. This year has been difficult for the retail world, and I thought it would raise morale to do a photo shoot. Many of my peers have never seen, or haven’t seen in a long time, each others’ faces. There was opportunity to be able to have some fun, and get some much needed photography practice in.
Read MoreAlright, I almost never published these images. This event occurred way back in October, 2020 in place of the well renown Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Damn pandemic… While it was neat that balloons still flew, we all know that it was nothing close to the usual spectacle.
Read MoreMost of my photography takes place outdoors with hot air ballooning, and hiking. Only recently have I put money into getting lighting equipment to start creating my own images wherever the demand is. I’ve only used the lights for the head shots and nothing else. Now with all of this extra time, I may as well try something new.
Read MoreEarlier this month I had the opportunity to photograph many-many people as my first attempt to make corporate head shot photos. With the cooperation of the local Best Buy (where I also work at), I was able to setup a low-stakes photoshoot for the store. I say “low-stakes” because I wasn’t charging, and if anything went wrong there wouldn’t be any lawsuits filed against me.
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