Isaac, let me clarify: it isn't accidental in the sense, as someone already mentioned, that he did not trip and pressed the shutter accidentally. It is not art (imho) in the sense it isn't a classical art. Just like a toilet bowl, or a white canvas, or a can of Campbell soup, etc., isn't art in the classical sense, a documentary photograph isn't either (again, imho). I am not trying to impose my definitions on anyone, just clarifying what I think, for what it's worth. That any of these objects can be ultimately elevated or acclaimed to the status of art is a domain of modern arts.
At the same time, I do not deny that you or others might see the "accidentallity" (if there is such a word) of the image stemming from the accidental arrangement of picture elements (the angle of the pole, wind-determined position of the flag, position of arms and torsos, etc.). Unless we are talking about a photographer-arranged still life or a fashion shoot, most of us photographers are working with accidental arrangement of picture elements all the time. That clouds form a particular shape, or that light falls at a particular angle, etc. is all accidental (or Nature's creativity, if you will. However, the ability to instinctively and instantly recognize when all those accidental elements align to create a powerful combination and press the shutter at the decisive moment, is what makes a photographer great and photography art. Even if that process of recognizing happen at a later stage, in culling or post-processing.
