Forest Park Balloon Glow

So we fought the hordes and masses to see the great Forest Park Balloon Glow. I'd never been before and was expecting something slightly different. From speaking with people who had gone previous years and reviewing pictures of other photographers, I was expecting a large spread of balloons. This is after all the second largest gathering of its type in the US. While it was pretty cool and the family had a good time, photographically I was a little disappointed.

The balloons were all gathered together in a tight rectangular area near the northeast corner of the park (close to Kingshighway and Forest Park Parkway for those familiar with the area). I had been told that previously this had pretty well consumed the park an there was often 150+ feet between balloons. I didn't measure, but there didn't appear to me more than 75+ between balloons this year. I was hoping for some awe inspiring landscapes/panoramics... this layout was not really conducive to that, in my opinion.

Second, the glow occurs at night. The attraction as a photographer (at least this one) is the potential for brilliantly color balloons to fill the frame. It was rare to see more than one or two balloons lit at the same time. When it did occur, the balloons were seldomly near each other. Going one step further, the entire area was lit by huge construction lights... really throwing off the vibrance. Again, this is only my opinion.

All that being said, I cannot say enough about the owners and pilots. Willing to work with photographers and talk with people. In my opinion they saved the event.

So with all of that, what does a photographer do? Get closer of course.

Here's a few of my shots. You can see them all and purchase prints or download the full size image from my PhotoStockPlus site.