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The Iowa Photo: A peaceful, quiet moment in Marion

Elizabeth Martin, photojournalist at The Gazette, shares the story behind her image of a hot-air balloon over Uptown Marion

Elizabeth Wood

Oct. 12, 2025 5:30 am

A hot air balloon floats above Uptown Marion on Sept. 7. On clear afternoons, Marion residents may catch a glimpse of the hot air balloon drifting above the uptown area. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette) — A hot-air balloon floats above Uptown Marion on Sept. 7. On clear afternoons, Marion residents may catch a glimpse of the hot air balloon drifting above the uptown area. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

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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.