Barossa Ballooning

My Photo scholarship 2011 entry

Australia | Monday, November 7, 2011 | 5 photos

I am a web designer with a keen interest in travelling and discovering new places and experiences. While on my first overseas trip I found a passion for photography and also my wife to be.

As a stellar engagement present my Auntie and Uncle gave my fiancé Caitlin and I a ride on a hot air balloon in the Barossa Valley in South Australia. The flight itself was magical but I almost had more fun watching the balloon being inflated - seeing the colourful fabric ripple in the wind and be lit from the inside by the burners.

This happened only last week, so I think the main reason that I chose these pictures for this competition may just be that I'm still excited by them. I don't reflect on old photos very often, instead I focus on what comes next.

I'm spurred on by a desire to catch the best photo I possibly can in any situation, but especially to capture a fleeting moment - something that no one else could have possibly seen because it existed only then. This is why I get a thrill out of wildlife photography. Birds and animals are possibly the most frustrating subjects to photograph because their constant movements make it so hard to get everything right. I have seen and painfully messed up a brilliant opportunity for a photograph many times - but those failures make the successes all the more sweeter.

If I was selected to be this year's scholarship winner I would devote myself to the project. I know this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I would be completely focused on gaining every piece of knowledge I can possibly glean from Jason. Being a travel photographer would be a dream come true - the best career I could ever imagine. There is nothing more satisfying to me than experiencing something new, especially if I can capture it in an image.