Up, up, and away

This is a really great reflection shot Allen. Bright colors on a nice day. I would probably crop a bit off the top to give it a bit more balance. Cool

Thanks, Ed, for the nice comment. My first thought was to crop off the top, but I then thought that given this week's challenge to keep it as vertical as possible and give the balloons some room to fly into. I agree with you, that a crop would be better.

Great light, warm color, and reflections Allen.
Given this weekly theme, the comp works fine for me.
Besides, if it's "Up, up, and away", it demands that space up top
Well done!

I really like the colours and the reflection.

Congrats
D&L

Very cool shot, Allen! . . but are these balloons landing on the water? Is that something they try to do? Never heard of this before. It certainly does make for a beautiful picture though! Love the colorful reflections in the water and the gentle ripples create a very painterly effect. My first thought, also, was to crop some off the top for more balance. But I think it works this way too. As you said, it gives the balloons room to fly into. Gives it more of an "artsy" feel too IMO. One thought would be to saturate the blue sky and water a bit to give the image more "pop" colorwise. But that is all a matter of personal taste.

Carolyn,
Thanks for commenting. Yes, they intentionally try to get down just low enough so the basket touches the water. The water is the Yakima River in Eastern Washington. I was standing on a bridge overlooking the river. I understand this balloon rally is a yearly event and last year it coincided with a photo convention put on by camera clubs in the Northwest.

Allen

The balloons and their reflections are great. The tight look at the two balloons and their reflections works very well. I too think there's too much sky. After spending some time "trying" different crops, I think that cropping to just below the top contrail leaves enough sky for the balloons to rise into while keeping the balloons and their reflections in the lower part of the image. Looks like a wonderful day!

I've done that! It's called a "splash and dash". I lived in Albuquerque many years ago, where they have the world's largest balloon festival for ten days every autumn. As I recall, it's also touted as the world's most photographed event. I took a couple of balloon rides, and once the pilot did a splash and dash in the Rio Grande. This reminds me of those times. Thanks for posting. I like the composition, and I think I prefer it as posted, with the room to fly at the top. I'd only suggest cloning out the con-trails.