Steamboat Balloon Rodeo, 2010

Well done!

magical!

I dunno. I really don't like that balloon growing out of the one 2nd from the left on top. I wish I could have moved left and put it behind the other balloon, or waited a few seconds for the main balloon to move in front. They were all drifting right. Am I asking for too much?

Yes I would be inclined to agree with you about that balloon peeping out behind the second one. It was the first thing that caught my eye. This should be a stunning shot but somehow at least to me it lacks impact. Your exposure and focus look perfect and having looked at it several times, my conclusion is that the balloons are too small within the frame. There is far too much blue sky in the picture which is inclined to dominate the colourful balloons. Have you considered cropping off the last two on the RHS. I've tried this out on the screen and there suddenly appears a nice curve of balloons from bottom to top completely capturing my attention and the sky is but a backdrop.Of course this is but one persons opinion.

Vincent, I really like the crop suggestion. You always amaze me with your ability to improve the composition of almost any image.