The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.

On my way home from photographing the Anamosa hill climb, I spotted a hot-air balloon floating over Uptown Marion. Watching it from a distance, it struck me as a peaceful, quiet moment, and a few minutes later, I found myself in the Marion City Hall parking lot trying to find a way to frame the photo. At first, I tried to photograph the hot air balloon in frame with City Hall or above Vernon Middle School, but the hot air balloon was too small in the frame, and framing it against the plain sky felt a little bland. After looking around the parking lot, I saw some trees and framed the hot air balloon between a couple of branches before it got too far away.

See Full Page