Earlier this year I ran across some photos from the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in New Mexico, and they were breathtaking. I'd heard of similar events locally before but never paid them much mind. But this year while brainstorming ideas for my Class of 2023, I thought how cool would it be to bring my DEP REPS to an event like this? After a little research, I came a cross the Lancaster Balloon Festival, an event held in the heart of Amish country featuring dozens of big, beautiful balloons. Luckily Lancaster is only about an hour from Harford County, so a few of my reps and I decided to make the trip bright and early for the 1st ascension at sunrise.
This shoot was more about the overall experience than it was about creating editorial content... although the pics we got are pretty awesome.
Here are some tips if you're planning on attending next year (the event takes place every September):
Get there early! The balloons are scheduled to go up twice each day, once at 7:00am and again at 5:00pm. We got there at 6:30 and some of the balloons were already on the way up.
You don't need passes to observe the sunrise ascension. We were lucky to get special access to the balloons, but spectators stand behind a barricade.
Once the balloons go up in the morning, that's it until sunset. You can enjoy the festival, but if you want to see the balloons in all their glory the best time to go is morning or evening. I wasn't expecting them to all go up and be done in less than 40 minutes, hence why we don't have quite as many photos as I would have liked.
Now enjoy some colorful shots of my 2023 DOP Seniors!
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