These photos were taken between 4am and 5:30am on the morning of 13 March 2004. Camera used was a Pentax Optio 33L and the photos were at a resolution of 2048 x 1536. In some instances I have cropped the photos a little amount to better frame the subject and some noise reduction has been applied to clean up the images.

These photos were taken from Parkes Place, the grassy area between Old Parliament House and Lake Burley Griffin (35°17'58'S, 149°07'56E) in Canberra, ACT, Australia.

IMGP1954
A dramatic shot across a still pool looking east to the sunrise. Shows well the mass of vehicles unpacking balloons and bustling for take off positions.

IMGP1965
A calm morning view from Parkes Place across Lake Burley Griffin towards the Australian War Memorial.

IMGP1978
Balloon operator shielding herself from the intense heat of the gas jet while inflating the balloon.

IMGP1983
Nice shot of the balloon now upright and still being inflated. The gas jet has beautiful colouration and lights up the interial of the balloon wonderfully in the pre-dawn twilight.

IMGP1988 & IMGP1990
A very colourful balloon on the far outskirts of the event still attracts a good crowd. The first picture shows off the natural colours of the balloon while the second more intense photo shows a beautiful orange glow inside from huge flame.

IMGP1992 & IMGP1996
A couple of shots showing some balloons making preparations for take off and the crowds of people rugged up against the early morning chill.

IMGP2001
The morning sky showed off some wonderful displays itself. Here we see a shadowy cluster of balloons framed against a colourful blue and pink sunrise. Also gives a good sense of how crowded the morning was with both people and balloons.

IMGP2018
A balloon after take off about to disappear behind the trees with the moon still shining down from the top of the frame. You can even see the faint streaks in the sky from the sunrise.

IMGP2036
A good shot of several balloons still flat on the ground, partially inflated and on their sides as well as upright. Also the crowds of people and families who showed up at such an early hour to witness the colour and majesty of the event.

IMGP2033 & IMGP2053
Here is one of the many shaped balloon that were present at the event: a giant frog. The first shot gives a good indication of the scale with the half inflated frog still flat on the ground in the middle of the crowd. The second shot shows the frog soon after take off with the seemingly tiny basket and operators slung underneath. This was a favourite amoung the children present.

IMGP2064
A balloon made of balloons! It was like a giant bunch of grapes, this photo shows a colourful closeup of the cluster.

IMGP2085
For the art lovers, Vincent Van Gogh...at least his head. This particular shot was difficult to get so well aligned as it passed overhead framed against the clouds and has proved to be a very popular photo.

IMGP2091
The postcard shot of two colourful balloons in a clear blue sky off taken just before leaving the event.

PANO
Two images stitched together show off the dramatic cloud display at dawn with balloon silhoutted along the bottom. The right hand side shows the back half of the upright head of Vincent Van Gogh balloon.