News and events
07-07-2008
The World's Largest Pajama Party - Pajama Fest 2008 WHO: The Great Reno Balloon Race WHAT: The Great Reno Balloon Race will host The Worl... more
06-04-2008
The Great Reno Balloon Race Solicits Community Support The beloved event issues a call for sponsors (RENO, Nev.) – Support is still needed to ... more
Weather
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Links
-The World's Largest Pajama Party
Photography Tips & Photo Contest
The Great Reno Balloon Race Amateur Photo Contest - Sponsored by The Reno Gazette Journal
Enter your best photographs into the 2008 Amateur Photo Contest. The winner will receive their own balloon sponsorship for a year and their photo will be published in The 2009 Balloon Race program! Complete photo contest rules and an entry form will be in the 2008 Official Balloon Race Program and will be posted here as soon as they are available. To view the 2007 winning photos click here.
Photography Tips
The Great Reno Balloon Race is undeniably the most photogenic event this area offers. With the abundant colors, amazing shapes and early morning sunrise, it's hard for even a novice photographer to take a bad picture. But just to help you out, we've collected some tips from a few professional photographers and a host of other amateur photographers as well.
Common Mistakes
The most common mistakes are using film speed that is too low to capture the instant beauty of Dawn Patrol and shooting balloon images toward the light when the sun rises, which usually only create a silhouette of the image. Below are some additional tips to help you capture that perfect picture at this picture perfect event.
Capturing Dawn Patrol
A tripod and a cable release are must-haves for shooting this low-light event and there is room to set them up. Use very high speed film or the highest ISO your digital camera provides. Set the aperture to the widest opening your lens allows and let the camera decide the shutter speed.
The Wells Fargo Mass Ascension and competitions
Capturing the beauty and color of the balloons can be accomplished with 100-speed film in the daylight during the Wells Fargo Mass Ascension and Hare & Hound competition. Since the balloons are moving at a slow rate and the natural light can illuminate the vibrant colors, 100- or 200-speed film will create good image quality.
The Lighting
As the morning sunlight rises behind the mountains, the rays change from an orange glow to natural daylight. Morning light can be cold and hard, but if you are lucky and the color temperature is right, it can create a warm glow and beautiful shot including the balloons fully illuminated by the sun’s rays.
Front Lighting
Shooting toward the west, when the sun shines over your shoulder is the best option for any basic photographer.
Side Lighting
To get more creative, allow the sun to shine across your image to capture the mix of shadows and colors.
What to shoot?
Take lots of pictures and use lots of angles; you never know what you might see. Purchase a Balloon Race program at the event and use it as a way to find the balloons you like best. Each day, the balloons launch from the same spot on the field, so once you find them, it's easy to go back and take more pictures.
*Special thanks to Tom Robinson and Fred Cornelius. Many of the beautiful photos on this site were donated by Tom Robinson with Renostock.com.
The mission of the Great Reno Balloon Race is to provide a premier, safe, family-oriented/tourist-attractive, visually dramatic event that celebrates the joy of flight while remaining free to the public.
