A Hot Air Balloon Over Waterford Castle

Sometimes the best photography jobs come with very little warning. The day before this one, I got a call asking if there was any chance I could be at Waterford Castle at 6am on Sunday morning to photograph the Discover Waterford hot air balloon. The only problem was I was standing in the middle of photographing a wedding at the time and I wouldn't be finished until around 11 that night. Finishing the wedding wasn't really the end of the night either. I still had to get home, download everything from the day and make sure the photographs were safely uploaded to the cloud before I could move on to the next job.

Still, I jumped at the opportunity. I was also told there might be a seat in the balloon for me, which certainly helped sell the idea of getting out of bed at 5.15 the next morning.

Waterford Castle Before Sunrise

I have been on Little Island countless times over the years, but I had never seen it at that time of the morning. I got to the ferry before sunrise and crossed over while the island was still quiet. It felt completely different. The birds were already busy in the trees, deer were moving through the grounds and, if you're lucky, you might even spot the wallaby that lives on the island.There was something magical about it. As the balloon team began setting up, the first bit of sunrise started to appear through the cloud and the whole place slowly began to come alive.

Setting Up the Balloon

Joe Daly and the Waterford Hot Air Balloon Team arrived with the Discover Waterford balloon and started preparing everything for the flight. The balloon envelope was laid out across the grass and then filled first with cold air using a large fan. Slowly it began to take shape, and this was fascinating to watch because you suddenly realise the scale of the thing. The crew were able to move around inside the envelope as it filled, which gave me some great photographs and really showed just how enormous the balloon is. I was able to get inside as well and photograph back towards the opening. It was one of the most interesting parts of the morning and gave a completely different view of something you normally only ever see floating in the sky. The morning was also featured by the Irish Examiner, who covered the balloon launch at Waterford Castle.

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  The Discover Waterford hot air balloon being prepared in the grounds of Waterford Castle.

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  The Waterford hot air balloon team beginning to inflate the balloon before take-off.

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  The balloon crew preparing the burner system before inflation.

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  The Discover Waterford balloon beginning to take shape as the crew prepare it for flight.

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  The Discover Waterford balloon filling with air before being raised for take-off.

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  Looking inside the Discover Waterford hot air balloon as it fills with air before take-off.

Checking the Wind

Before take-off, the team released a small test balloon into the air. It rose upwards and then began to drift once it reached a certain height, giving the crew an indication of what the wind was doing above ground level. A hot air balloon doesn't simply steer wherever the pilot wants it to go. The direction is largely determined by the wind, with the pilot able to make use of different air currents at different heights. That became fairly important for me because the photograph I really needed still hadn't happened.

Bringing the Balloon Upright

Once the envelope had enough cold air inside it, the burners came into play. The propane burners fired hot air into the balloon and gradually brought the whole thing upright.

Photographically, this was brilliant. There were bursts of flame, the blue and white material of the balloon, people working around the basket and that early morning light beginning to break through behind everything. Once it was fully upright, the Discover Waterford branding became visible and the whole thing suddenly looked enormous.

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  The Discover Waterford hot air balloon upright and ready for flight as the morning light breaks thro

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  The burner firing as the Discover Waterford balloon is brought upright and ready for flight.

The Seat I Didn't Take

There had been talk of a seat for me in the balloon, and it was very tempting, but my brief that morning was to photograph the balloon going over Waterford Castle. If I was sitting in the basket, there was going to be one fairly important thing missing from my photographs: the balloon. So I stayed on the ground. Joe and the passengers took off and I watched to see where the wind would carry them. There was no guarantee at all that they were going to go anywhere near the Castle, so from that point on it was really just a matter of watching and hoping.

Waiting for the Photograph

The balloon began to drift across the island and for a while it could have gone either way. Then it started moving towards Waterford Castle. At that point I was moving around the grounds trying to find the best angle. With something like this there is no second chance. You can't ask a hot air balloon to move ten feet to the left or come back and try it again.

You just have to find your position and make the photograph while everything is lining up.

Thankfully, that morning it did.

Hot Air Balloon Over Waterford Castle

For a short time, the Discover Waterford hot air balloon floated directly over Waterford Castle. The balloon, the Castle and the early morning light all came together and it was genuinely one of those magical moments to photograph. I got the photograph I had been hoping for. Actually, I got a few. Waterford Castle is already one of the most unique places I photograph. A historic Castle on its own island, reached by ferry and surrounded by woodland and wildlife is hard enough to beat. Add a hot air balloon floating over it just after sunrise and it becomes something else altogether. It was one of those mornings that stays with you.

If you’re planning a wedding at Waterford Castle, have a look at my Waterford Castle wedding photography post, or browse my gallery for more photographs from weddings there.

Keith Sullivan /Infokus Wedding Photography /Waterford Wedding Photographer