‘Like a dream come true’: Photographer who took images of Christ the Redeemer being hit by lightning

The Brazilian photographer who captured the lighting of Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue described the shot as “incredible” and “like a dream come true.”

Lightning struck the iconic structure last month, leaving social media users stunned.

Fernando Braga, a Rio de Janeiro resident, lives with his wife and children on a property with a direct view of the 98-foot statue.

He was determined to capture time-lapse video and photographs of lightning connecting with the sculpture, after more than 30 attempts.

‘It was amazing at first. Like a dream come true as I was trying for a long time. At that time, I expected to see some lightning around the frame, but not like this,” Braga told Yahoo News.

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‘Photography for me is just a hobby. I love spending my free time photographing,” added Braga.

‘At home, I have a very nice view of Christ the Redeemer, so I took a lot of photos of it. In the sunsets, the dawn[s]with the moon, the sun, airplanes, helicopters, birds, etc… So I decided to make myself one with lightning as well.’

The photos of Braga drove the users of social networks crazy. She made several posts on different platforms, but the most popular one garnered more than 171,700 likes and more than 3,200 comments on Instagram.

The close-up showed lightning striking the statue’s head, illuminating it like a halo.

“I didn’t expect such a reaction, since technically, this is not a difficult photo,” Braga said.

He added: “I just want to say that people who try to take photos of lightning [should put their] First your own safety. I was filming at home… Protection and safety should always be [a priority]. Once you get it, give it a try! It’s really not hard to take good pictures.’

Fernando Braga captured images and videos of the event, which have been viewed millions of times.

Braga was determined to capture stunning time-lapse video and screenshots of lightning striking the sculpture, after more than 30 attempts.

“I am completely in awe of this…” wrote one social media user.

Another posted: ‘God has sent a message to the world!’

The statue is visited by almost two million people every year.

Lightning struck the head of the Art Deco-style statue of Jesus Christ on February 10, illuminating it with a flash.

The images of the lighting hitting the structure were the first posted to Twitter by a user named Massimo, who credited Braga for the image.

Many users of social networks questioned whether what happened was the work of some otherworldly divine power. Others praised Braga, a self-described ‘amateur’ whose social media feeds also show various images of the statue in more normal conditions, for capturing such a visceral and temporary moment.

One user commented on how, surprisingly, this was not the first time that the statue, which was named one of the new Seven Wonders of the World in 2007, had been struck by lightning, having gotten stuck twice in less than two decades, in 2008 and 2014.

“At this point, Zeus or Thor,” the user joked in one of the several posts showing the snapshots of Braga. ‘Jokes aside, this is a fairly recurring event, being the high point, it’s just lucky to have someone do the photography at the right time.’

Another praised the cameraman for his photo-taking prowess, commenting on one of his still images: ‘Wow! Thanks for sharing.’

A third joked: ‘Mom! Thor and Jesus are at it again!’ while another user simply said: ‘Wow! Oh just WOW!

‘It was amazing at first. Like a dream come true as I was trying for a long time. At that moment I expected to see some lightning around the frame, but not like this one,” Braga said.

Braga said: “At home, I have a very nice view of Christ the Redeemer, so I took a lot of photos of it.” In the sunsets, the dawn[s]with the moon, the sun, airplanes, helicopters, birds, etc… So I decided to make one with lightning as well’

Others commented on how the lightning photos appeared to be nothing short of a godly scene, and the video in particular left viewers stunned.

The storm that animated the images wreaked havoc in Rio de Janeiro, downing trees in several neighborhoods. Fortunately, the statue was not damaged.

When it was struck in January 2014, the event was also caught on camera.

At that time, the officials revealed that the bold damaged the thumb of the effigy, which then had to be prepared.

The 2008 lightning strike on the statue left it unharmed.

The iconic statue stands more than 2,000 feet above the seaside town atop Corcovado Mountain.