2025 Friends and Lovers
Greetings, dear viewer… Okay, I stole that introduction from a YouTuber because I don’t know how to write an introduction anymore. 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.
Instead of taking off at one spot, like Balloon Fiesta field, the balloons were scattered throughout Rio Rancho. Personally, I’m not a fan of this planning but I understand why they’re doing it. There’s no equivalent large field in Rio Rancho, and it’s nice having balloons all over the city rather than in one spot. But I think this makes spectating a bit more difficult. Had I not been crewing I would have found making photos a frustrating task.
My photo gear is the Canon R50 plus assorted lenses again. I must say that it has been doing well as a “crew camera”. Small, easily packable, and quick operation make it ideal for me. It might suit you too should you want a camera. I also did almost all of the editing on my iPhone again. The exception would the group photo at the end of the gallery because I needed a large screen to scan the faces quickly to pick the best frame.
The group photo was a little funny because I didn’t plan on taking it, the event organizer knew I did photos and chose me to do it on the spot. I’m glad I got to do something for them but, ha, I suck at group photos.
Anyway, gallery is below as usual. Hope you enjoy the photos.
