Gavin Best has revealed he only spotted a jaw-dropping coincidence in one of his photos days after he took it.
The Belfast man, who shared the image on Twitter back in 2018, was walking at Cavehill on New Year’s Eve when he captured what he thought was just a scenic landscape shot. The photo showed the countryside views from the clifftop, which Best described as “quite a yomp” to reach. It was only when he reviewed the images later on his laptop that he noticed something unexpected in the distance.
“When I looked at the photos afterwards on my mobile I didn’t spot anything; it was only a few days later when I was looking through the photos on my laptop that I noticed something over there, so I zoomed in,” he said earlier this year.
What Best found was a person suspended in mid-air on the clifftop far behind his main subject, captured at the exact moment they jumped.
“I thought it was a hell of a coincidence that I’d happened to capture that exact moment – I hadn’t even realised there was anyone over there when I took the picture,” he continued. “By pure chance the timing was perfect and it created a funny shot. It would be pretty mad if you managed to find them.”
Best had originally posted the photo to Twitter with the caption: “Took this photo a few days ago. Just spotted something in the distance and zoomed in. How’s that for coincidental timing?”
The figure, barely visible in the full frame, appears to be someone jumping for a photograph being taken by companions on the clifftop. The technique of jumping for photos is common with groups, but timing it properly usually requires coordination between photographer and subject. Best managed the same effect accidentally from a considerable distance away.
Some viewers who saw the photo expressed concern that the person might have been attempting to jump off the cliff. Best quickly reassured them, explaining that he had spotted a group of people on the clifftop a few minutes after taking the original shot, confirming the figure was simply part of a photo moment rather than in any danger.
The image has drawn renewed attention as an example of extraordinary coincidental timing in photography. Best took the photo at Cavehill, a popular walking spot known for its panoramic views of Belfast and surrounding countryside. The location’s elevation and open vistas make it a common destination for both casual walkers and photography enthusiasts.
Despite the distance involved, the zoomed-in image clearly shows the person perfectly suspended above the ground, legs bent and arms positioned as if in a posed jump. The alignment of Best’s camera angle, the jumper’s position on the clifftop, and the split-second timing combined to create what many have called a one-in-a-million shot.
Best has expressed amusement at the accidental nature of the capture, noting that he had no idea anyone was in that part of the frame when he pressed the shutter. The photo has continued to circulate online, with viewers marveling at the odds of such precise timing from so far away.