Theme: Energy
Award: Highly Commended
Photographer: Ellie Powell
I took this picture last year on holiday in Egypt. We were going on a balloon ride and it was necessary to arrive there early in the morning before the sun had risen. Before the balloon ride, I could see the balloons being set up. The balloons were first laid out and a fan was used to inflate the balloons. The burner was then put on in order to heat the air and cause the balloon to rise. I thought that it was visually quite impressive to see the flame from the burner. It was very bright and, even from a distance; I could feel the heat from the burner. I think the photo conveys heat energy from the size of the flame and the deep red colour of the balloon. The fact that such a large volume of air has been heated to the extent that the balloon rises is representative of the large amount of heat energy produced from the burner. The heat energy is transferred to the air inside the balloon; as a result, the density of the air decreases below that of the surrounding air. The difference in densities causes an upward buoyant force which is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced (in this case the fluid is air). I have not edited this photo too much although I have increased the definition slightly.