Hot Air Balloon Photos by Michael Mantei
I've loved hot air balloons for as long as I can remember. I've been taking pictures of them for as long as I have been taking pictures. I'm going to try to build a site showing some of the photos that I have taken over the years.
I'm going to start with photos from the 2022 International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta held in Albuquerque, New Mexico. My wife and I went for opening day. The even glow was cancelled because of weather, but I got a lot of pictures in the morning. There is so much going on at once.
For those interested, the Balloonists line up in rows. There are 23 rows with between 4 and 11 balloons per row for a total of 200 spots. They launch 2 at a time, starting with 1 in row A and 1 in about Row M. As the rows empty, they are taken over by another balloon team. They go through the entire field at least 2 times, meaning there are at least 400 balloons that take off on a busy day.
I only hope that I can do justice to the event with my pictures. Let me know what you think.
