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All the seven photos which made our #BalloonSpotter 2019 Competition shortlist gave us good reasons to become the top favourite.
After intense deliberations, we chose the winning image, posted by Claire from Bristol (@thiscitymum) on Instagram.
With so many brilliant entries, Claire’s photo won by only a couple of votes.
Our #BalloonSpotter 2019 Competition turned out to be even fiercer than #FloatFace 2019, also recently closed.
The photos shortlisted for #FloatFace all had that human touch, creative thought, and good humour.
When shortlisting for #BalloonSpotter, we realised how many entries captured the stunning beauty of our hot air balloons against bright blue skies. They all also presented great composition and photographic quality.
Without further ado, let’s look at how Claire’s image won the competition.
It certainly shows our Virgin balloon in all its red splendour, shining in the sunlight. We loved how the shadows left by the trees on the ground seemed to reflect the clouds specking the blue skies.
The photo captures this corner of the landscape around Ashton Court Estate.
Often, such a detail adds to the already unique charm of a hot air balloon ride. Our passengers love flying over historical landmarks, which they can admire from above.
Two other photos competed closely for the runner-up position as well. They were only one vote distance from each other.
That one vote went to Phil Drury’s image of one of our big balloons floating over the stunning Peak District landscape.
Light and shadow again mix up beautifully in this image. The blue skies above look full of character.
And we loved the fresh green of such a specific British landscape captured in his image.
Tom Swindells entered our #BalloonSpotter 2019 Competition with a lovely capture of one of our balloons at sunrise.
We particularly liked how he caught its reflection in the water. The gentle light also added charm to his image.
Both Phil’s and Tom’s submissions reached us via Facebook.
Now, in no particular order, we’ll have a look at the other four images in the shortlist.
Another image taken in the Peak District, James Walker’s photo shows our hot air balloon again at sunrise.
Posted on Instagram, it captures a different type of feeling than Phil’s.
It comes across as more ethereal, with a gentle hint of the light of legends and fairy tales.
The mists, the half-darkness, the colours in the sky, and our balloon just almost barely lit against it all give this impression.
Emma Heathcote-James posted her #BalloonSpotter 2019 shortlisted image also on Instagram.
This one touched our hearts, as it showed a boy and a dog while they checked out our hot air balloon in the distance.
The following two have been sent to us via email.
Jack Swords took a series of photos of our hot air balloon launching and gave them a particular edit.
We appreciated the mood and the details in his photographs.
Get your stamps ready, these flights are worth writing home about