Featured Article - October 2009
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THROUGH THE LENS
Sky High
Photography by Ron Behrmann
For nine days in October, New Mexico skies are filled with color as more than 700 hot-air balloons ascend from Albuquerque's Balloon Fiesta Park. But while the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is widely recognized as the world's premier balloon rally, it isn't New Mexico's only ballooning event. From the pearly dunes of White Sands National Monument to the red rocks of Gallup, New Mexico's many landscapes become even more breathtaking when observed from above.
It's the serenity that photographer Ron Behrmann most enjoys about hot-air ballooning. "When you're in a hot-air balloon above the ground, you hear absolutely everything going on below you. Cars honking. Dogs barking. People calling up at you. It's as if you're a quiet observer of everything happening back on Earth. There's a peaceful and mediative quality to flying, for sure."
A balloon photographer and pilot for more than two decades, Behrmann's travels around the world to photograph hot-air balloons and ballooning events have earned him the title "The Balloon Photographer." In 1992, in honor of King Hussein's birthday, Behrmann was invited to the Royral Jordanian Balloon Celebration; in 1996 he covered the around-the-world balloon attempt by Per Linstand and Sir Richard Branson. Behrmann's photography has graced the pages of National Geographic, Outside, Reader's Digest, Sunset, Time, USA Today, and the Balloon Federation of America's Ballooning.
Behrmann has also served as the official photographer of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
"I think I'm most drawn to the vivid colors and shapes of the balloons," he says of his photographs. "They are ever-changing as they launch, and it's a challenge to get the colors and lighting just right."
A resident of Albuquerque, Behrmann says his favorite event to photograph each year is December's Red Rock Balloon Rally, in Gallup. "I take so many memorable photographs there. I've taken about a dozen photographs that I really teasure, and a lot of them are from the Four Corners region. I credit it to the natural scenery. You've got the sandstone red rocks, and the contrast between the balloons and the rocks is just amazing."—Brandon Call
Balloon Rally Calendar
Call ahead for information updates closer to event dates.
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
October 3–11, 2009
(888) 422-7277, (505) 821-1000, www.balloonfiesta.com
Lighter than Air Fair, Albuquerque (at the Balloon Museum meadows)
October 3–11, 2009, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
(505) 880-0500, www.balloonmuseum.com
Taos Mountain Balloon Rally
October 23–25, 2009
(575) 758-9210, www.taosballoonrally.com
Red Rock Balloon Rally, Gallup
December 4–6, 2009
(800) 380-4989, (505) 979-1231, www.redrockballoonrally.com
Jingle Bells Rally, Rio Rancho
December 12–13, 2009
(505) 263-0222, www.hotairballooning.org
Mesilla Valley Balloon Rally, Las Cruces
January 16–17, 2010
(575) 521-6803; www.mvbr.com
Friends and Lovers Rally, Albuquerque
February 13–14, 2010
(505) 263-0222, www.hotairballooning.org
Old-Timers Balloon Rally, Roswell
May 1–2, 2010
Bill Glenn, (575) 622-9892
San Juan River Balloon Rally, Bloomfield
June 18–20, 2010
(505) 632-0880, www.bloomfieldnm.com
Santa Fe Trail Balloon Rally, Ratón
July 3–5, 2010
www.ratonnm.gov/events/santa-fe-trail-balloon-rally
Angel Fire Balloon Rally & Summer Festival
August 6–8, 2010
(866) 668-7787, (575) 377-6555, www.afgov.com
Deming Duck Races Balloon Rally
August 28–29, 2010
(888) 345-1125, (575) 544-0469, www.demingduckrace.com
Elephant Butte Balloon Regatta
September 11–12, 2010
(505) 307-4142, www.ebbr.org
White Sands Balloon Rally
September 18–19, 2010
(800) 826-0294, www.alamogordo.com
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