Up, up and away

click photo to enlarge
Gazing down Church Street in Bicker the other day a roaring sound attracted my attention, and then a great curve of red nylon slowly rose from behind the trees. It was a hot air balloon, very near, and the sound was the flames of the burner as it squirted a stream of hot air into the canopy. I quickly put my longest lens on the camera and, as the balloon with its basket of passengers came fully into view, I started to fire off shots, looking for a composition that included the ground and the brilliant red of the nylon against the morning blue of the sky.

As the balloon slowly rose over the top of the tower of St Swithin's church the Virgin logo became very obvious. What was going on I wondered? Was it Richard Branson on his latest balloon escapade, lost in deepest Lincolnshire? Perhaps he was undertaking a "retro adventure", in the manner of the Montgolfier Brothers, and in the absence of any high-tech communications equipment, the pigeon below the basket had been released carrying an urgent message, "Help, I'm somewhere over the Fens and drifting towards The Wash!" But then as the great craft floated on I read the banner on its side, "Balloon Flights" and a telephone number. Later, when I did a little research I discovered that this is one of the many arms of Virgin's aerial empire. Not content with jet airliners and spacecraft Branson also has a balloon division that offers rides from multiple locations across the UK. A much less harmful offering than 747s and mini-spaceshuttles I suppose.

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Olympus E510
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 70mm (140mm/35mm equiv.)
F No: f7.1 Shutter Speed: 1/1000
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation: -0.7 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Baubles, baronetcies and MBEs

click photo to enlarge
Today the UK newspapers carry the annual new year list of those who have received "honours" (medals, knighthoods and the like) for their contributions to national life. A few years ago the government tinkered with this system of awards to make it more "inclusive". In fact, they were reacting to the increasing ridicule and anger that the awards - the establishment's slap on its own back, ranked according to class and social position - have received in recent years, and so now ensure that a few more of the lesser accolades go to poorer people. I am one of those who despair that this antiquated nonsense is allowed to continue.

Consequently, today I pay homage to all those upstanding people who, when offered or nominated for an "honour" had the strength of character to tell the government where to put its bauble. A list of those who refused the offer can be found on Wikipedia. Note the pathetic measures the establishment has introduced to try to ensure that people's rejection of these trinkets does not come to light. Anyone having a look at the list should note, in particular, the number of refusals made by the painter L.S. Lowry! He did well to hold-out against the establishment's repeated temptations.

This balloon full of hot air drifting aimlessly across the sky seemed an appropriate accompaniment to today's reflection. I've taken only a couple of shots of a balloon before, and found it helpful that it was flying low so that I could include elements on the ground. There's not a lot you can do, photographically speaking, with a balloon high above you, but fortunately there was a fairly well-placed cloud that I could use to make a composition.

photograph & text (c) T. Boughen

Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 150mm (300mm/35mm equiv.)
F No: f7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/400
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation: 0 EV
Image Stabilisation: On