If one in San Diego is on social media, odds are that they have seen one of La Jolla-based photographer Evgeny Yorobe’s captivating photos. He is well-known for capturing natural phenomena in the area, though, as he so eloquently puts it, “putting yourself out there.” Recently, one of Yorobe’s captures of the other-worldly Space X Falcon launch above the clouds of Hospitals Reef eventually ended up in the abode of the man behind the rocket itself, Elon Musk.
Like many fortunate events, it is one that almost never came to fruition.
Following two 12-hour days of setting up, breaking down, selling prints and shaking hands at the La Jolla Art and Wine Festival, a weary Yorobe psyched himself up to make it just in time. “It had been cloudy all evening, and I didn’t think I would even be able to see the rocket through the dense marine layer,” said Yorobe from his gallery in La Jolla. “I didn’t even break down my booth at the festival… Around 7:21 p.m., I made it to the reef and was able to capture the rocket cascading just above the clouds, with the Milky Way just left of center.”
Yorobe, who has a strong social media presence, continued on with business as usual – posting the photo to his accounts. Within 24 hours, Yorobe caught wind that Gwynne Shotwell, president and COO of Musk’s Space X corporation, wanted several prints ordered. “Someone who knows [Gwynne] Shotwell saw my photograph on social media, then sent it to her, and she loved it,” Yorobe said. “She called me the next day to order 27 prints in total, two of which were larger aluminum prints, one that ended up in one of Elon Musk’s homes, and 25 smaller prints as gifts to friends and employees.”
Yorobe’s aforementioned ethos of “You’ve ‘gotta put yourself out there” seems to be paying off, as the photographer has been at his Fay Avenue gallery for nearly one year.