Back in July, I posted some photos from the balloon flight I took while visiting the Cappadocia region of Turkey. I’ve recently gone back over the many photos I took that morning and have decided to post some more. I begin with shot a crew readying a balloon for its launch. This balloon is just about ready to go with its basket full of passengers, about two dozen.
Today’s pictures serve to show the range of flight we experienced during our approximate 1-1/2 hour journey, from high in the sky to the bottom of some ravines. I was impressed by the skill of the pilots who not only managed to avoid collisions with the 60+ other balloons in the sky but displayed a great ability to control the flight of their crafts.
The next picture is my favourite of all those I took that morning. It becomes apparent why ballooning is a popular tourist attraction, combining the fun of a tranquil flight with jaw-dropping scenery.
From low level flight above a ravine, I move to a shot from much higher, looking down at balloons traveling beneath ours. This shot offers a good view of the faerie chimneys, the local term for the rock formations we would call hoodoos.
This next shot demonstrates how close to the ground we descended in the course of journey. At this point, we are emerging from a ravine, looking upward at one of our companion balloons.
My last shot for today combines the vibrant colour of some balloons with a beautiful view of the rugged landscape of the area.
A morning well spent, the best way to see Cappadocia.
The taking of the pictures was relatively straightforward. I used my “travel camera”, the Canon 40D with a very versatile zoom lens, 18-200 mm. Despite the early hour, the light was pretty good and I was able to get most of the shots with an aperture opening of f5.6 and the ISO set at 400. I used the full range of the lens’ zoom, from close-ups to wide angle and was able to get shutter speeds above 1/100 sec for all but one of the shots. Nothing very challenging, so I didn’t have to work very hard. All the better for enjoying the experience.
Makes me want to go back!