The image perfectly embodies Icarus, a character from Greek mythology who burned his wings when he got too close to the sun. However, the man freefalling in front of the shining star was very real: his name was Gabriel C. Brown, content creator and skydiver, jumping from a small micro light before deploying his parachute after the photo was taken.
On Earth, astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy shouted into the phone that allowed him to communicate with his friend: “I got it, man! Oh my God !”.
To take a photo that had “probably never been taken before,” the two friends had to overcome several technical obstacles: precise alignment, one attempt, and even training to work out Gabriel’s pose in front of a mirror.
Andrew McCarthy and Gabriel C. Brown take us through a behind-the-scenes video of this incredible shoot.
