Some moments in the world are so amazing that you feel like you need to capture them. And those that are very marvelous usually happen suddenly. This is the experience of this photographer Eric J. Smith was pretty lucky to be in the right place at the right time. With his camera as guardian, he was upfront to not miss the opportunity about a whale-watching expedition in Baja’s San Ignacio Lagoon.

However, the marvelous moment was yet to come when the group completely unaware of a while popping her head above the water. That was the moment Smith took the photo and now it has become a viral sensation.

Although, this photo isn’t the only viral photo of Smith’s. In 2015 his image of a man looking at his cell phone while an enormous whale rises from the water was his first experience with viral success. I guess for the photographer his lucky charm is whales and I mean that’s pretty awesome.

In one of the interviews, he made for Earthwonders the photographer stated: I am a documentary photographer and video director with a fascination with the natural world. I was on staff for a social good division of CBS that sent me on assignments across America and around the world to document the work of effective nonprofits across a broad array of issue areas. On these trips, I would often bake a few days into the schedule for personal exploration like photographing the mountain gorillas of Rwanda, the great migration of the Maasai Mara, or trek above Peru’s Machu Picchu

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1. The rare moment and the missed chance

“In this photograph, a panga with people from my camp was approached by a mother and her baby, known as a cow and calf pair.’ The calf made an appearance near the bow of the boat causing everyone to look forward. A second later, the mother emerged a foot behind the stern in a behavior called a spy hop. She slowly and silently stuck her head high above the water to look around.”

He was situated in another boat just a few feet away. The whole scenario happened before his eyes. Fournotantley he was quick enough to shoot the camera. Then as everyone was ready to turn to see the magnificent sea creature the whale was back below the surface. Indeed a special and rare moment but unlucky a missed chance.

2. The 2015 sensational photo of another whale moment

Smith is always in contact with things that inspire him thus he stated: I’m constantly inspired by what I see, whether it is a backyard bird in the glint of morning light, the spectacle of a breaching whale, or a twilight flight over Manhattan. I try to put myself in situations or have experiences that will allow me the opportunity to see something unique. I was trained at the Rhode Island School of Design as a graphic designer and that formal training about lighting, composition, and the ingredients to make an exciting poster strongly inform my photography.

If it is challenging or compelling to capture rare moments like the viral whale photo or other photos of people around the world Smith has the answer: The key to documenting the rare moments is to put myself in the situations that will allow me to see them. I almost always carry a camera. As a kid, I would see videos of Andy Warhol constantly snapping photos wherever he was. I’ve been doing that myself for the last decade. Something deep inside compels me to document life and our spectacular planet in single frames. Each of them is special to me and I’m honored that they seem to resonate with clients and the public at large.   

As the image circulates the globe we are happy to witness this wonderful moment of life. For more, you can scroll down and see the images, and other photos of his work.

3.The photograhper is a very accomplished photo artist and director with over 25 years of experience

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