Some types of photography can be planned to the smallest detail; however, this is more difficult when it comes to some types of photography, for example, photographing shooting stars.
This is why this photo by photographer Prasenjeet Yadav is so popular- it’s a picture-perfect photo of a meteor that he accidentally caught while he was sleeping.
Yes, you read correctly-Yadav was sleeping when this stunning photo was taken.
Yadav Won a Grant by National Geographic
Back in 2015, Yadav won a Young Explorers grant by National Geographic.
Yadav who lives and works in Bangalore, India drove into the mountains in the small south Indian town of Mettupalayam to shoot a time-lapse project on urbanization.
He set up his Nikon D600 with an intervalometer to catch a 15-second exposure every 10 seconds-when everything was set up, he went to sleep.
The following day, when he was checking out the 999 photos that were automatically taken during the night, he noticed a bright green fireball falling down the sky and enlightening the sky.
This is when he realized that he had something really special.
In the Right Place at the Right Time
Yadav said for the Wired that he was there and that this is what photography is all about-to be in the right place at the right time.
He considers this to be his most memorable shot. It’s also the first image that was published by National Geographic back in 2016.
The meteor’s green color is a result of the heating of oxygen around the meteor and the mixture of minerals that are ignited as the rock penetrates the atmosphere of our planet.
Interestingly, Yadav was originally a molecular ecologist with a master’s in molecular biology. For several years, he was doing research in India.
However, one day, he realized what his true passion is, i.e. storytelling and so he took up a camera and started to photograph with an aim to popularize ecological and conservational sciences.
Want to learn more about Yadav’s work? No worries- follow him on his Instagram and don’t forget to check out his website!
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