After a four year hiatus my beloved balloon festival returned to Ogden Valley. It is one of my favorite things and I look forward to it all year long. It’s been heart-breaking to see it cancelled for the last few years. This year they found wonderful new sponsors and though I sort of miss the days when it was tiny and no one really knew about it, I must admit that this year was fantastic and the organizers did a spectacular job. Since we enjoy it so much my family and I have resolved to volunteer next year…though I have to be able to still take my pictures!
This year the morning balloon launches (which are my favorite part) were held at Snowcrest Jr. High. It’s wonderful to be up before dawn in the chilly mountain air enjoying the camaraderie of your fellow early morning risers. The air is thick with anticipation as the balloon crews lay out the balloons and test their propane tanks. It’s a thrill to hear and see the whoosh of air and tongue of flame dart into the air. That sound is so distinctive. After a pilot’s meeting the crew’s start inflating the colorful gentle giants with huge fans. I always position myself next to my favorite balloons, ones that are extra colorful and backlit by the sun, to capture the insides as they inflate. The crews are always so nice about letting me stick my head into the neck of the balloon to get my shot. I especially like it when I can capture the silhouettes of the crew members working at the top of the balloon like in the image above.
The balloon glow, festival booths, live entertainment, kids blow-ups, and food vendors were all up at Nordic Valley this year. In the winter Nordic Valley is a ski resort, so as you can imagine, the views of my beloved Valley were spectacular. I loved that there were so many local vendors, I didn’t know we had so many in the Valley. I spent more than I should but I love supporting local small businesses. There were lots of people and the atmosphere was delightful. On Saturday night they did a small evening balloon launch and it was so pretty to see them drifting across the valley beneath you. Then there was the glow, which is my second favorite part. The balloons are set up and tethered and they flames their flames to “glow”. It’s magic!
The festival went Friday through Sunday with Sunday being a half day. I took the above image Sunday morning. I was over near the Maverik taking advantage of the free tethered balloon rides for my kids when I saw these sunflowers (I absolutely love wild sunflowers) and the balloons behind them. I ran out into the middle of a prickly stubbly field to get this shot. So worth it!
As you can imagine I have a ton more images. Here’s the link to my facebook album where I’ve done a little photo essay (but facebook does make your images look a little wonky).
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152360201008727.1073741828.111853783726&type=1
And here is the link to balloon images from this year (and others) on my online boutique where you can order prints (and the images look much better here).
http://www.illuminephotography.com/balloonfestival
Here’s the link straight to where the images from this year start.
http://www.illuminephotography.com/balloonfestival/h29F94FCD#h29f94fcd
I can’t wait for next year! Fingers crossed that it will be back again!! 🙂
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After the ceremony the guests spent time taking photographs then returned in the carriages to the reception at Wolf Creek. They were treated to wonderful music and a delicious dutch oven dinner.
Simple, elegant, and absolutely stunning. Filled with friends, family, and laughter. It was an exquisite day!
