Curtains

I guessing, from the title, that these balloons are expiring, rather than being heated up. I've always wondered if balloonists just let these beasts cool down or if there is some way to release the hot air. Jim, can you illuminate?

I love the composition of this photo. The framing of half-collapsed balloons by fully inflated ones is wonderful. And the exposure, which must have been fairly difficult, is spot on. I wonder, though, if a polarizer would have brought out the blue of the sky just a little more.

Michael, all these are inflating. The title came from the window-like effect the 2 foreground balloons have on the sky. They kinda look like curtains pulled back to reveal the outside world.

I noticed that all the balloons had a piece at the top that can separate, so my guess is that they can quickly deflate by letting the hot air out the top.

The polarizer would have helped, I am sure. It just wasn't practical to use it because I changed lenses rather often and the Cokin stuff is too cumbersome. Maybe I'll have a screw-on Moose polarizer there next time, especially for my 28-105mm lens.