Because They Flew By

I wasn't there to photograph birds.

That morning I was preparing to do a video shoot for my friend Melina. The sun was beginning to come up, and these two birds simply appeared in front of me.

There was nothing on the agenda that said I was going to photograph a sunrise or wait for birds to fly through the frame. They were there, I saw them, and I made the photograph.

Looking at it now, I think that is what I like most about it. There was no plan behind the moment.

The photograph exists because they flew by.

Two birds cross a broad expanse of open morning sky above a low ocean horizon. The leading bird is rendered with greater definition while the second follows slightly behind and outside the primary plane of focus, creating both depth and a sense of movement.

The generous negative space is fundamental to the composition. Rather than turning the frame into a conventional wildlife portrait, the surrounding sky establishes scale and gives the birds somewhere to move through. The low horizon and distant band of clouds divide the photograph into quiet horizontal layers while the birds provide its only strong directional gesture.

Some photographs begin with intention. Others begin with attention.

A photographer can choose the place, the equipment, the hour, and the reason for being there, yet the world remains capable of introducing something that was never part of the plan.

The distinction may be small, but it matters. Observation is not simply the act of searching for something. Sometimes it is the willingness to recognize what has appeared unexpectedly—and to respond before it disappears.

Because They Flew By is preserved in the Francisco Colón Studio Photography Wing as an example of the role observation and chance play within Colón's photographic practice.

The photograph is particularly significant for the circumstances of its creation. The birds were neither arranged nor anticipated, and wildlife photography was not the purpose of the morning. The frame therefore preserves both a fleeting natural event and the photographer's response to an unscripted moment.

Its inclusion in the collection also reflects a recurring characteristic of Colón's work: photographs that emerge from noticing what occurs around the intended destination, subject, or assignment.