I am officially welcoming myself back to multiply album posting. Hahahaha. *drum roll* *crowd cheering* *Dan's sort of a silent entrance*

Today, I'll be serving something hot; photos which are just a few days old. And I'm talking about the 14th International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta at Clark, Pampanga.

This was my second visit to the annual event (the first one was last year which you can find HERE). I joined my family in watching this large (literally) and colorful festivity. Unlike last year where I watched the afternoon show, this year, we opted for the morning show (Em's wife, Belle had an afternoon hospital shift).

If you're thinking of visiting again next year, my vote is for the afternoon show since its cooler and the sky is more colorful as the sun sets.

With a moderate to slow pace, Clark is about a 1.5 hour drive from Manila via the North Luzon Express Way (NLEX). The entrance fee to the Fiesta is only P100. That allows you access only up to the fences before the Hot Air Balloons. If you want to get closer, you'll need to buy press passes, which they pre-sell for P150. Only 100 pieces are sold per day. Digital Photographer Philippines (DPP) sells these press passes. You can also opt to join the Epson Photo Contest by registering for a fee. That also allows you to enter beyond the fences. As for me, I just paid the regular entrance fee and shot as far as the fences.

Don't worry about food and water, because there are a variety of concessioners in the event, including common fastfoods like Jollibee, McDo, and Burger King. Portalets are strategically spread around the event area when you need to go.

If you're a photographer and you're planning what lenses to bring for this event, here are a few suggestions (for DX format):
    - normal zoom (18-50mm)
    - telephoto zoom (70-200, 70-300, anything that reaches 200mm or more)
    - ultrawide (10-18mm)

Of course, the most practical bag for such an event is a shoulder bag. Utility belts are meant for short events and backpacks are meant for long treks. You can also ditch the tripod if you're just shooting during the daytime. I didn't bring my tripod in favor of mobility. Remember, pack smart, pack light. =)

And now for the photos. For more photos, click HERE.

A panoramic view of the hot air balloons before their takeoff. These are 6 photos stitched together using Photoshop's Photomerge Automate tool. 1/60 f/4.5 ISO500 34mm 6photos.

The key when making a panoramic sequence is to lock the camera to the average meter reading and also lock the focus to the average distance. For example, if the left portion of the pano sequence gives a meter reading of ISO100 1/60 f/8 and the middle portion says ISO100 1/100 f/8. Then you should be using the average which is ISO100 1/80 f/8, making sure to set your cam in manual mode and plugging in the respective values. Also, sequence photos need to overlap by at least 30% so as to allow your software to draw more data from when stitching. This panoramic sequence shot is best done with a tripod. For handheld shots, just make sure you're getting a shutter speed of more than 1/60 and carefully pivoting between shots through your waist. Happy Pano shooting guys! =)

When I was photographing this, the concept hinted signs of making a nice cover photo with a little boost in photoshop. 1/160 f/5.6 ISO500 20mm.

Sometimes, the second visit in an event tempts us to re-do old shot ideas, so it's important to look for something interesting every time to spice up your composition. For this photo, I peeked through the viewfinder and locked the focus, before placing the camera down on the grass to take this shot.

This is another interesting angle to shoot from - under the covered viewing area, at the right side of the fences. 1/80 f/5.6 ISO500 14mm.


People are also equally interesting subjects for events such as this.

Two kids read an educational handout while one uses hers to cover themselves from the hot midday sun. 1/640 f/5.6 ISO100 200mm.


Navy soldiers walk by. 1/1000 f/5.6 ISO200 200mm.


And something serious to cap off the day - a photograph with a ranger in camouflage.

Note: That soldier did the korea-japan pose all by himself without my coaxing him. It's good to know that my friendly character is actually infectious. Hehe. :)