Mark Mortensen, Balloon flight (AERIAL 2026)

Opening morning of the Canberra Balloon Festival transformed the capital into something almost dreamlike. As first light spread across Lake Burley Griffin, balloons drifted through warm gold and cool morning blue, creating striking contrasts of colour, shadow and scale. From above, familiar landscapes became abstract patterns, while the balloons offered entirely new perspectives. This series captures that brief moment when Canberra felt quiet, weightless and wonderfully surreal.

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