Laura Symes, Drift (ENTRIES CLOSED - MINIMALISM)

An early morning launch during the Winter Hot Air Balloon Festival in Mildura, Victoria. As the balloons drifted into the clear winter sky, one separated from the others, creating a simple moment of colour, light and stillness. Captured handheld on a Nikon Z6III with a NIKKOR Z 24–200mm f/4–6.3 VR lens at 200mm. Exposure: 1/250 sec, f/6.3, ISO 100. Processed in Adobe Lightroom using global adjustments to light and luminance, with a radial gradient to subtly enhance the balloon and a linear gradient applied from the left to balance the composition.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.