'We camped all night just to snap the Milky Way'

Photography makes you do things that you never imagined! And, I felt that International Astronomy Day was the perfect day to share this experience, which is so close to my heart -- the first time I captured photographs of the Milky Way.

I remember that day (night, actually!) well. It was 3 am, and we -- four friends -- were camping at one of Goa's most mysterious places -- Curdi, which is popularly called the 'Atlantis of Goa' -- as it appears once a year, and is underwater for the rest of the year.

It was a bag of mixed feelings, where I was thrilled, and at the same time, excited and nervous.

As the night was still young, we were desperately longing for the sight of the Milky Way. And, it didn't show up till 3 am.

Of all the places in Goa, Curdi was the best spot as most of the other locations in the state are enveloped in high levels of air pollution, and capturing the skies becomes totally challenging. However, as there is barely any human activity at Curdi, and it is pitch dark with no electricity, Curdi was the perfect choice.

Having been awake for hours, I decided that I badly needed a nap. And, when I was in a semi-deep slumber, I heard one of my friends waking me up frantically. Voila, the Milky Way was visible!

What I saw at 3.30 am that morning left me speechless. It was one of the most stunning sights I never saw before! Glittering like gems!

The Milky Way was crystal clear -- it was the moment I wanted to just lay down on the ground and admire it all night. But, my hand instantly reached for my camera lens and I began to quickly adjust it so as to capture that beautiful sight in the deep, black sky.

I mounted the camera on the tripod, and snapped away at the Milky Way; but I was not convinced about the composition.

Since one of our teammates had a car, we told two of our teammates to climb atop it, and that’s how I got the composition of the car as well as the Milky Way.

We shot some photographs of the temple with the Milky Way in the background, which was among the most beautiful shots I took that night.

The enchanting sky and the Milky Way that night made me realize how tiny our problems are, and how beautiful creation is that it has the capacity to make you feel still in the moment, while at the same time filling your heart with joy. It is such moments of satisfaction that I love about photography.

I know there's much scope for improvement, however, I simply couldn't forget that first moment which made me fall in love with astronomy and it's marvels.