Hot Air Balloons

[Jehu]

I'm new to LF. I've shot less than a dozen pics so far. All of them B/W. I want to get through a learning curve with $1.25 b/w shots that I can develop in a daylight tank.

The Great Reno Balloon Race starts in early September and I want to be using color by then. Can anyone provide some suggestions for film types, filters, etc. I want to be ready for the following situations:

Bright sunlight (historically a strong possibility)

Overcast or mostly cloudy (this happened once. no good pics that year)

Dawn patrol (the balloons light up before dawn)

Any help would be appreciated.

[Walter Calahan]

Fuji Pro 160 S.

[Walter Calahan]

Velvia, or Provia depending on which color balance you like.

[anchored]

Balloons with their vibrant colors sings out for Velvia, at least when shot during periods of "perfect" lighting. Provia for a bit more latitude... Pro 160 negative film when lighting conditions less than ideal.

Filtering: Gotta-have filters: a high-grade polarizer (Singh-Ray, Lee, Heliopan, etc.), and a warming filter (81B usually). Or... a warming polarizer (Singh-Ray LB).

[Jehu]

Thanks for the advice.

"Perfect lighting" is still a little confusing to me. I'm use to landscapes being much better in cloudy or even overcast conditions. We had overcast conditions a couple of years ago at the balloon races and all the photos were "lifeless". I'm suspecting that a VC or Velvia film with a polarizer would be the way to go. (I've never used Velvia)Maybe this is one situation where harsh sunlight is a good thing.