Smiles on their tiny faces. Excitement in their brightly lit eyes. A growing joy in their little hearts. Carefully marching down the cobbled stone steps of the church; in their grasps - happily colored envelopes. Each one to his/her own. Inside, were their names. Inside, were their aspirations. Inside, were their souls... to be sent up to heaven by way of balloon....
And when the clock struck twelve, and the church bells rung, they let go...
***
These photos were taken yesterday at Moncalieri in front of the church of S. Maria Della Scala. The event was part of the initiation rite of Catechism Classes for the school year.
The short story behind these shots...
A crowd of parents and children were gathering in front of the piazza with the balloons in hand, and I knew something was up. That's when I pulled out my camera and took the first shot. I wanted to hang around to see what would happen, but my family was on it's way to have lunch at a nearby restaurant. Needless to say, the restaurant was away from the scene. I reluctantly went...knowing that I was going to miss a very special sight (special because I had never witnessed a group of people let fly balloons into the air all at once). By a stroke of luck, the restaurant was full. So I quickly ran back to the piazza and got there just in time to witness the event, and get a few shots of it. The whole thing made me happy. Well, balloons make me happy...so yeah.
***
Here's the second shot... in black and white.
Click on the images to enlarge.
I love these pictures! Talk about being at the right place at the right time. Haha :D I like the last one how all the color is removed except for on the balloons. I love doing that with pictures but it looks espescially difficult in that picture. How long did it take you to do it?
ReplyDeleteThanks. Hmmm, I'm not sure how long I took...maybe 20 minutes? The balloons were so small so I didn't bother being very careful about it. So it wasn't really that difficult.
ReplyDeleteOh I see what you mean. Looks great though! =]
ReplyDeleteAs beautiful as this is, I can't help but wonder how many sea turtles, ducks, and other wildlife will be cruelly killed by all that plastic.
ReplyDelete:(
Your photos are just gorgeous, and they vividly show the beauty of the symbolic gesture.
:)
That's true. I actually did wonder why they allowed the release of so many helium balloons into the air. We all need to be more environmentally conscious. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThose shots are perfect. I love the second one. If they are going to release the balloons you might as well make the best of it.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you were able to capture the moment, what a sight to see! Excellent capture! Welcome to the Color Carnival :-)
ReplyDeleteWhat a special find! Thanks for sharing!! I love the black and white photo... :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your comments :)
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