Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON Just before sunrise today, I came off a freeway ramp leading into the CBD and came to a halt at a traffic light. I was fiddling with the radio settings when I looked to my right and suddenly did a double-take as I noticed these five hot-air balloons floating silently in the sky. Not the best position for me. I did not have enough time to get out of the car. And I had a van to my right. I knew I had at least ninety seconds before the light changed. Lunged into the back seat. Grabbed the camera bag. Switched the Pentax on. No time to check the settings. Lined up the balloons. Took the shot - out of the driver's window, with my seat belt still on. Had time for two more frames very quickly, but they were not as good as this one - simply because of the colours of the sky. And you know what? The van (in silhouette here on the right) actually puts the skyline in perspective, with the whalebone roof of Rod Laver Arena to the left. Pure luck. I'm so glad I always have a camera with me. Keeps me, ahem, focused.
Late Reaction Number One: I should have chanted ``Van go, van go,'' to invoke the famous Dutch painter and use the power of my mind (such as it is) to urge the nearby van out of the camera's focus.
Late Reaction Number Two: This post is for my friend and colleague Merrilyn, who always tells me she knows a lot about hot air, er, no, I mean hot-air balloons!
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