Shot on assignment for The Maneater.

When Jim Wolters first rolled this out of his truck Thursday evening, I asked him, "What in the hell is that for?"

He looked at me, slightly stupified, and said simply, "Balloons don't inflate themselves."

Copilot Barret Wolters holds the side of the envelope open as the fan blows air into it. Later, he will hand off that job to Ernie (who was helping another team at the moment) so that he can use the ignited propane to heat the air that was blown into it.

Approx. 6:30 AM
Canon T70/Fujipro 800Z, F4.0, EV+1.0