332nd Fighter Group in Flight, Selfridge Field, Michigan ("At last we are airborne—We take up our battle positions—White wisps pass us—It's glorious up here.") 1943

This photograph by Gordon Parks captures the 332nd Fighter Group in flight over Selfridge Field. Can you imagine Parks, hanging out the side of another plane, trying to get the shot? It makes me think about the material aspect of photography – the angle, the light, and the split-second decision of when to press the shutter release. It's about trying to get that perfect composition. I'm really drawn to how he frames the wing of the aircraft, putting us right there in the cockpit with him. The lines of the plane slicing through the sky. It’s more than a record, it's a visual poem. Parks captures that feeling of flight, that sense of being airborne, but also that specific moment in time. It resonates with the work of other artists who also captured aerial views and the poetry of flight. Artists are always inspired by those that came before, and they are in an ongoing conversation with each other across time.