Most mornings, especially when the weather is good, around the time the sun rises, hot air balloons can also be seen rising above the rocks in and around Sedona, Arizona.
One morning earlier this month, I decided it was time to get new pictures of this local occurrence so I set out early to hike in order to try to get some cool photos of the balloons.
As I hiked I contemplated how much easier this task could be if I had a drone to use, but since I didn’t have one, I made sure to put a drone on the list of new things to add to my equipment.
I have since purchased a drone, and have already tested it out a few times in the last few days since receiving it. I can’t wait to make cool drone footage in awesome places, as I have always imagined what having a drone would be like for my photography and videography. I had never followed through with buying one, but I have been patient and decided now was the best time to go ahead and make the purchase, which I see as an investment in my craft.
Having this drone will allow me to create photos and videos in new ways I wasn’t able to do so before. I feel that it will also help to inspire me to continue stepping out of my comfort zone, which I have found is basically necessary in order to take my photography and videography game to the next level!
Now that I’ve gotten to talk about my new drone that I’m super excited about, I will get back to the Sedona Hot Air Balloon Adventure.
I left my house super early one morning recently. I headed up to Sedona, and as the sun just began to rise, I hiked up one of my favorite mountains in the area to see if I could find any hot air balloons to photograph.
After almost getting discouraged due to not seeing any balloons after the sun came up a little, I noticed what looked like a few small colorful balls on the ground, and that is when I got excited! I was pretty sure it was the hot air balloons, and sure enough, soon they were rising up off the ground and into the air.
I was so excited I almost dropped my camera, but I ended up getting everything together quickly enough to be able to start snapping some photos of the balloons.
I then hiked up just a little further to a rock that was elevated a bit more for a better view point of the balloons above Sedona’s red rocks.
I kept taking photos the whole time the balloons were in the air. After they began descending, I waited to see if they would come back up a little bit more. They did rise again for a few minutes, so I was able to get a few more pictures before they were all done for the morning.
It was getting pretty hot, so I decided to start my hike back down to my car, but it wasn’t long before I found more things I found incredibly interesting.
The first was that the rocks were still cool in the shade, and that the crickets were even still chirping where the sun wasn’t yet shining. I cooled off under the shade and then continued on my way.
Shortly after this, I found myself coming up toward an ocotillo that was glowing in the sunlight against a dark background that was being shaded by some of the Sedona rocks. It was a delightful sight, and I immediately knew I had to get my camera back out right then and there.
It was so great getting to take all these photos this morning. Some days, I will go out and not even take any photos, or any that I like, so this was truly an extraordinary adventure to say the least.
I made a YouTube video that shows me hiking up and taking these photos, so if you would like to check that out as well, here is the link to that.
Thank you all for taking the time to learn about my recent Sedona trip. I am so grateful I am able to share my adventures with others; please feel free to comment or reach out, as I truly appreciate all the support I have received so far. It means so much to me and it makes me feel like despite the challenging parts of doing things like this, I am still doing the right thing, and it is valuable and impactful.
I want to provide value to others by creating beautiful nature-based content. If you have feedback, want to reach out, or simply say hi, always feel free to contact me, and I will do my best to respond to you! I had a super great time taking photos of these hot air balloons at sunrise and the ocotillos in Sedona!
Until next time :)
Blake Austin Sneed