On my sister's golden birthday, which was lets see...5 years ago, my mother had gotten my sister tickets for a hot air balloon ride. My mom got tickets for the whole family except my dad because he's scared of heights. It was all a whole new experience for all of us. At the time my dad said, "Hey, take my camera and get some shots while you are up there."

So off we went and I barely really knew what I was doing with his camera. It was a Minolota SRT MC-II. The sites were incredible. I think I went through 4 rolls of film or more.

When I got the photos back I really wasn't expecting much. I knew how to use the camera, but I wasn't very confident in my photography skills at the time.

Low and behold I came across this photo, and was like WOW! I took that? The photo is a reflection of the hot air balloon of a pond we floated over with the basket barely hitting the water.

This is the photo that made me think...hey this photography stuff is kind of cool. I'm still learning everyday, and yes once in a while I still amaze myself. I've learned to never expect anything when getting my film back. I always expect the worst, because when I get cocky like "man...I know I got so many good shots in here." That's when I get photos back that are mostly crap. I'm sure we all have photos like that...you know the ones you don't want anyone to see.

If you ever get a chance to go on a hot air balloon I highly recommend it. I know it can be kind of costly, but the photo opportunity up there is countless, and you will be traveling at the perfect speed.