Capturing a kayaker plunging at speed 120ft down a Brazilian waterfall is unsurprisingly no easy task for any photographer.
Which is precisely why this spectacular image of pro-kayaker Pat Keller doing just that is Lucas Gilman's favourite picture.
For a man who has made a career out of taking awe-inspiring shots of human attempts to conquer nature, it is some accolade.
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Jaw-dropping: Professional kayaker Pat Keller is a tiny dot on the La Paz waterfall in Costa Rica as he goes over the top and plunges 120ft
Keller is a tiny speck on the water as he goes over the edge of the La Paz waterfall in Costa Rica.
An expert in taking pictures of high-octane kayak stunts, Gilman says any plunge longer than 40ft can result in injury or even death.
Death-defying: Keller risked his life to perform the stunt on the Brazilian waterfall but emerged with only one injury - a broken hand
In this case, Keller was lucky. Miraculously, he only came away with a broken hand, which snapped on impact at the end of his amazing dive three years ago.
The 31-year-old photographer from Western Colorado has followed some of the world's best kayakers around the world as they try to gain the ultimate thrill.
From heading down Cardiac Canyon at speeds of 300ft/minute at Lower Mesa Idaho Falls in Idaho to the rugged Rio Alceseca in Mexico, he has seen and captured some of the most daring kayaking runs in the world.
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Conquering nature: Fellow kayaker Jesse Coombs, runs the 70ft-tall Lower Mesa Falls on Henry's Fork River in Idaho
Even as a bystander to the main action, Gilman also exposes himself to considerable risk as he scrambles to reach the best vantage point.
He says: 'To get the best shot, you have to get to the best location to shoot, which my be in the base of a gorge.
'You have to rappel in [abseil] and battle slick rocks, snakes, bugs - these are places people don't usually want to go.
'It's not a pleasure cruise. It's hot, humid and usually in a country that doesn't have hospitals readily available, so you are on your own and your team is all you have.'
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Taking the plunge: Photographer Lucas Gilman captures Ben Stookesberry as he too sets off down the Lower Mesa Falls
Every shot he takes involved meticulous planning because the window of opportunity allows no room for failure.
'I try to pre-visualise the shot and usually shoot with two cameras - one acting as a remote - so I have a horizontal and vertical view of almost every situation,' he says.
'There's no second chance with these - you can't ask a guy to go run that 100 footer again.'
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Daredevil: Stookesberry abseils 210ft through thin air in Veracruz, Mexico, after deciding the waterfall looked too risky to kayak down
Gilman's next stop is France, where he will be photographing the Tour De France which starts on Saturday, before he heads to Brazil later in the year.
'I get to travel the world, see new places and meet new people. It's a dream, but it's no vacation and the travel can be gruelling,' he said.
'I have been known to rappel 100ft into an unknown gorge to get a decent view and I have also been held up in Chiapas Mexico by knifepoint while trying to trek out of the jungle and find a road. They robbed us and let us go.
'But I am still looking for that favourite image. I am never satisfied and want to continue to improve my craft.'
Pictured: The moment a kayaker risks his life by plunging 120ft down a waterfall | Mail Online
The moment a kayaker plunges 120ft down a waterfall
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