The challenge was a familiar one.
It was the yearly balloon rally in Prosser and I drew the balloon assignment. The weather conditions were favorable so I got to photograph both balloon launches and then take a flight in a balloon.
The challenge arose when editing the photos. Should we give readers a nice, pretty photo, one they’ve seen before in our newspaper?. I know it’s a photo a lot of readers will like. Or, should I give them a different photo – one that’s perhaps a bit more unusual and one they’ve never seen before. But one that might leave some readers cold?
In theory, we should, when it’s possible and appropriate, visually challenge our readers. Photographs which will make the reader linger over the photograph and the page. But experience has shown me that most of our readers seem to prefer more straightforward photography. The readers are our customers and we should give the customers what they want, right?
The pretty (and somewhat predictable photo):
Hot-air balloons take flight over Prosser, Wash. Sept. 24, 2010 in the 21st annual Great Prosser Balloon Rally. About 30 balloons are expected to take part in the rally which continues through Sept. 26
A less-obvious photo of the event, a scene we’ve never before pictured:
The balloon "Coca-Cola" is stowed following its landing on Bettinson Road north of Prosser, Wash. Sept. 24, 2010. Hot-air balloons took flight over Prosser, Wash. as part of the 21st annual Great Prosser Balloon Rally. About 30 balloons are expected to take part in the rally which continues through Sept. 26
In the end, we compromised with a two-photo package. We ran the second photo, the one of the balloon being stowed, along with this photo:
A hot-air balloon takes flight just after dawn over Prosser, Wash. Sept. 24, 2010 in the 21st annual Great Prosser Balloon Rally. About 30 balloons are expected to take part in the rally which continues through Sept. 26.
–Gordon King
Picture This | seattletimes.com blog
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