In 2006 while assigned to India by my employer, I revisited the Taj Mahal for the third time. One image from that trip convinced me I could make it as a photographer.

In early 2006 while on assignment to India, I visited the Taj Mahal with my family. My parents flew in to join us on a tour of Northern India. A helpful manager at the Taj Hotel, Agra assisted us with an early morning taxi (4 am) and guide to help us find the back side of the Taj, across the Yamuna river.
As we made our way toward the bank of the river, a boy appeared out of the fog, with a camel in tow. After some haggling, my dad ended up taking a bit of a camel ride with the boy. They returned long before sunrise. We chatted about our trip so far, about the joys and challenges of raising a family (my sons were all very young at the time), and about my childhood.
Soon the sky began to light up – slowly, though, the slow-growing light of dawn, streaming through the haze of morning river fog. Eventually the sun rose and began burning the fog. Just as the sun peaked out between the Taj’s minarets, the camel’s owner took it into the river to bathe.
It took a few days to get to a computer again so I could review my photos. When I found this one, I was absolutely stunned. This is the image that got me thinking, I could be a successful photographer.
What’s the photo that started you off?