This photograph was taken in Venice, Italy, near the historic centre. The image captures a pivotal moment when a pigeon takes a grain of maize directly from an open hand. The frame isolates the gesture, bringing the beak and the grain into sharp visual focus. At the instant of exposure, the grain seems suspended between grasping and releasing, marking the precise threshold between offering and accepting. The bird’s body balances forward, its wings motionless, while the human hand remains steady beneath it. Nothing in the image suggests before or after; everything converges on this fraction of time. The photograph fixes an encounter defined by time, proximity, and precision, where movement pauses long enough to make the act visible.

* August 1, 2002
* Venice, Italy
* GPS: 45.434197, 12.338246
* From the series: Spirit of Earth — Our World
* Object number: #36.IT-SEO.2002
* Photograph. 70×50 cm. Ed. 1/12 + 3 AP
* Print on Hahnemüle Photo Rag Matt Baryta, 308 g/m²