They filled the air above my town. Spotting the sky with their various colors. Awaking early Saturday morning to the powerful WHOOOSH of the burners on the baskets of the hot air balloons as they past over my little garden.
For me this symbolizes the start of the annual Ladenburg Balloon festival. For 2 days our town turns into a festival of things that fly in the sky. Kites and Balloons are center stage.
The “Glowing” or night illumination is the highlight of the event. Thousands of people arrive on the green along the Neckar River to witness the display of these enormous balloons firing off, synchronized to music. It is pretty awe inspiring.
I have been blessed to experience and photograph this event 3 years now and each time I see something different. My first year, the balloons were unable to inflate for the illumination due to rain…so instead of entertaining us all with the balloons, the local Fire department marched on the green with torches and simulated the musical display. Last year I was lucky enough to share the event with a fellow photographer enthusiast who came from the US.
This year I opted to shoot the morning lift off the day after the night illumination. Being there and watching the excitement to make it into the sky JUST as the sun rose and filled the sky with color was exciting. Each team seemed to include those lucky people who paid to take flight in the individual balloons. Each “guest” was given tasks like holding the ropes and their amazement was infectious.
I hope you enjoy the slide-show of a montage of the various years I was blessed to attend. If you ever get the chance, stop into Ladenburg in Aug. You can always find our festival schedule online at: www.ladenburg.de
by lthek
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