(click the red icon in the lower right hand corner for full screen)
Path to the Ring
Blood and glory, for who, the bull or the “novillero”?
I met this troupe of young Mexican bullfighters one February afternoon in San Miguel de Allende. Their bravery and unparalleled commitment to the centuries old tradition of “Tauromaquia”, led me to explore the path they follow in hopes of fame and glory. A path restricted in the past to children, especially girls.
Paola, eleven at the time, represents Mexican childhood’s departure from normalcy as they step into a daily routine of training where cape and sword rule. In their altered world there are no video games or IPods. Just dreams, dreams of scarlet plazas in distant lands, dreams shattered not only by horn and hoof, but also by greed and pain.
Photographs: Raul Touzon
Website: www.touzonphoto.com
bravo!
strong consistent engaging, some truly wonderful photos in this mix.
I think the opening image of the bulls head, is a good opening image, but it seems misleading in a way, not sure. I also think 3, 4, 12 and 18 are the strongest images for me. With 3 and 4 especially, I get the sense you’re actually using the environment more than in any of the other photographs, and they kind of seem out of place in your slideshow, which is a shame because they are the strongest and you don’t have enough of them or others similar to them. The other images seem to capture what is happening in front of you, but for the most part, the emotions, and expressions, have been cropped, and for that the essay suffers slightly with what you’ve set out to achieve.
Just doesn’t do anything for me. As for bullfighting…barbaric sport. Should be illegal.
Raul,
the strength of the essay moves from high to low, feeling kind of lost in the sequence, the dark sky and the bullring might be a stand alone shot…
I like it, strong, sad, antique…
Ole mataor!
Juan
RAUL,
You have some very strong images in this essay that I really enjoyed. I particularly like 3, 4, 5, 16, 18 (maybe 6, 11, 13) with 16 being my favourite. I am however not sure about 17 even if I understand what you wanted to show in this photograph… my question also is whether you are right to include 14 and 15. I think that 14 is a very nice closer portrait but somehow, the move from horizontal to vertical photographs has been bothering me. I am curiuous if any other feel the same way….
But very nice work! I hope myself to work on bullfighting someday. Many are taking place in the area where my family is living in the South of France… It is indeed a barbaric sport for some but at the same time, also filed with tradition, rituals, courage that are fascinating… I understand why some will reject it (I have felt this way myself most of the time) but you have to sometimes get to know closer the tradition before being able to judge fully…
Cheers,
Eric
By the way, unless I am mistaken, your name seems very familiar…. Are you based in Mexico and running workshops there?
Jim, I’m sure you could have given more than that to the discussion, otherwise why bother? A lot of other things should be illegal but good photographs can come of it. I don’t really understand your reason behind posting if you have nothing to really contribute. Seems very much like a comment that just wants to be read.
I said it doesn’t do anything for me. Others have posted similarly brief statements in other threads. I don’t recall you taking them to task.
If I must say more, the images seem claustaphobic to me. Some seem superfluous to the story, included to fill space. It seems more a collection of stills then a coherent essay.
That’s better, and don’t take it personally. If I haven’t taken the others to task it is because I never saw them in the first place and I’m new here, arriving only this week! :-)
It is already late, so I better keep my answer short.
I like the series, but it has it’s strength and weaknesses, I feel some images repeat like 15 and 16. Honestly I am not really 100 percent happy with this one, but I am too tired now – I guess I would start some stupid nagging…
However the idea of the story about emerging bullfighters is wonderful. A very nice story!
Unfortunately I am not familiar with Latin-America at all, but I remember the passionate words of my friend Martha from Valladolid in Spain, who once showed me images of bullfighters in her hometown. After that I had no more questions.
Inevitably with this topic images from Ernst Haas come to my mind and I like to recommend a close look at the work of Giorgia Fiorio. Very interesting portraits of bullfighters are taken by the dutch photographer Rineke Dijkstra.
More tomorrow.
Reimar
Eric,
On Raul’s website there is a section all about his workshops, and some of them are in Mexico…amazing opportunities await us. About the essay…I agree with you that it is the responsible action to make oneself more informed before making judgements and rendering ignorant opinions upon what is presented. In saying this, I am not claiming that anyone here is ignorant (quite the opposite, actually…BURN and its pool of intelligent commenters have really made me think); I am simply saying that it is the easier solution to say you don’t like something before really examining what it is all about (and we are all guilty of this as we are human). I don’t know anything about bullfighting except for images that I’ve seen…from what I gather, the culture behind it is wrought with deep tradition, respect, understanding, and the passion to conquer. I definitely get that from this essay…what I don’t get, however, is, in this machismo culture, when, where, and how did they start to let girls participate in this dangerous and male-dominated sport? That is something I would have liked to have more clarification on with more written or visual explanation. The topic fascinates me, and some of the imagery really is beautiful (2,4,5,6,12,15,16,18)…I also like how Raul engages the bullfighters for portraits while also taking the perspective of spectator and yet offering another, more intimate angle from behind-the-scenes.
I also don’t know why there is a dead bull…is the goal in bullfighting to kill the bull? And the connection sometimes seems distant while other times it’s right in your face. Overall, I like the work, but I am left with questions.
Raul mi amigo!! I had not seen this work of yours. There are some lovely wonderful images here. I personally like #7, 16, and 19. and have always loved your use of color. Nice job…
i, too, am left with questions..
I am so intrigued with little girl bullfiighters..
amazing..
would love to see more of that…
I love the girls’ expression in #19
so powerful..
how old is she?
where is her family?
what’s her name?
thats more of what I’d like to see..
but I enjoyed your images…
I want to explore little girl bullfighters…
….and compare with the ‘machismo’..
love the story..
**
I agree with some of the comments above- there are some strong singles, but I was not drawn in to a compelling series/essay. I also agree with Wendy that it would have been better to see more of the girl bullfighter “substory”.
Asher
Hola Raul,
me gustó mucho tu ensayo…no me pongo tan técnico como otras personas….prefiero llevarme un “feeling” overall de lo que veo…no cuadro a cuadro…se que vienes a Puerto Rico..nos veremos.
Un abrazo.
Rubín
3, 6 ( my favorite by far ), 8 ( something is still missing in this one though ), 10 shoulda coulda…
16 yes, and 17 ( the best of the whole essay i admit… )
but then again… anything NOT SHOT with a wide angle or 50mm at the most is “wrong” for me … or at least for “Pay” …( and that i understand , totally…)
but then again, thats just me !!! i could always be wrong !
but that number 17 photo…. loves it
… and the 6… ( i started “feeling” and “coming close”, almost getting into the story…. )…
and then all those telephoto portraits, distance, not passion, old school, natgeo-ish…
i hope this essay evolves and the photog will let us closer to the families… girls matadors, boys …
old/young… Really the bullfighting cliche photos… totally NOT interesting….
Anyways,
i wanna see more of this essay soon, but closer to the families… maybe one family…
maybe i dont know what im talking about… maybe i should go get a beer…
good job Raul,
peace y’all
( i just noticed that im getting older,softer, sad )
Akaky,
check this one…
“TAUROMACHIA”….
in greek “TAUROMAXIA”…
which is two words combined in one..
TAUROS in greek means BULL &
MAXH in greek means FIGHT…
ok.. going for a drink!
CARRIE…
yes, indeed, Raul has workshops you should strive for…he is a particularly great teacher for someone who needs to gain technical expertise and yet wants to move ahead in truly connecting with people…he has a very extensive program….how do i know this about Raul? well first, Raul was a student of mine back in Santa Fe, we stayed in touch, and he and i have been teaching together at various times for many years in Mexico….as a matter of fact, he and i just finished a class here in Oaxaca , Mexico today….i pushed the button on running this essay on BURN as a little goodbye present from me to him…everyone bonds so much at these workshops, it is really tough to say goodbye….lots of bonding in just a few days…and so much fun to work with old friends like Raul…
oh by the way (and Raul will raise his eyes at your question!), yes the purpose of bullfighting is to kill the bull…
cheers, david
Interesting Raul, good to have an insight into another culture; which is the strength of this essay.
My edit would be 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15 (killer shot), 19, 20.
I’m more interested in the preparation than the performance (as with ballet). Some of the compositions are not to my taste (but hey, you run the workshops, I don’t).
I believe that a form of bullfighting involves the removal of ribbons from the horns of the bull and allows the bull to live. Much better: culture and tradition maintained, nobody dies. Usually. And if you get gored whilst removing ribbons from a rampaging bull well; it’s tradition isn’t it?
Best wishes,
Mike.
I guess I’m still trying to figure out what an “emerging photographer” is, exactly. Do they teach workshops? Seriously, the “evolving magazine for emerging photographers” is kind of confusing. I visit a lot of photo websites and might be getting them mixed up, but it seems like we’ve seen here everything from new photographers to those with an extensive posting of tear sheets on their sites.
I’ve started going to the photographers website first to see if the essay I’m going to view is from a newcomer or a pro, so I can put it into perspective.
Good morning Mike, almost 7:00am in beautiful Oaxaca Mexico. Thanks very much for your comments. I guess I should have told everyone that I only had a week to shoot the story. I agree with you 100% the preparation is much more interesting than the event itself, but honestly, had no more time to shoot it.
All the best
Good morning Panos, we meet briefly at Charlottesville last summer. You know man, I agree, long lenses are not a good idea, as a matter of fact 90 percent of my pictures are shoot with a 17mm, but, when there is a bull in the ring…. there is no other option. Thanks so much for your comments… and I will take you up on the beer offer.
Carlitos, gracias por tus comentarios. Si voy a estar por alla en un par de semanas, asi que nos vemos pronto
Un abrazo
Gina, thanks so much. Just last night David and I were having a beer…. or two and talking about that very famous workshop that you attended in San Miguel back in 2001. Lots of fun memories.
Wendy, I was explaining Panos that I only had a week to shoot it…. so much more I wanted to do. Anyway, her name is Paola, she is 12 now. Image number 17 was shot at her house, and the woman with the cigarette in the photo is her mother Alma.The other two that appear in the photos are Lulu (Lourdes)(image 15), she is 16 years old and lives with her dad in Queretaro, Mexico, and the last one is Mari Paz, image 19 (shot with a long lens…sorry Panos). Thanks so much for your comments and questions
Eric, as Carrie and David pointed out, I have been producing and teaching workshops in Mexico for over 8 years, but I am actually based in Miami, Fla.
Thank you Juan, really interesting perspective.
Carrie, let me see if I can find a copy of the article in English. I was also the writer for the story, but because it was done for National Geographic Latin America, I wrote it in Spanish. The article answers a lot of the questions you ask. My best guess about girls in bullfighting…. like in every other aspect of life…. they have the right.
Thanks for your comments, all the best
Hi Raul, thanks for the reply. I’m impressed that you did so well in only one week! I think it is very important for people to have a sense of identity and to foster it. I suppose that it could be argued that this identity has been transplanted from Spain and that, in itself, is an interesting avenue to pursue. I’m sure that the indigenous population have made the practice uniquely Mexican.
The only danger with protecting a culture is that it can promote Nationalism and a sense of everyone else being “other” and less worthy. I suppose what I am attempting to say is that being able to show the individuality of a culture whilst being able to show the common humanity that binds us all is the true measure of success. No pressure there then.
David posted yesterday that Oaxaca has the best weather in the world and you obviously concur.
It’s 13:32 here in the North of England and it’s cloudy ….. again.
Enjoy the sunshine Raul!
Best wishes,
Mike.
Some very nice shots here… Would love to see a tighter story and or edit about the young girl bullfighters and could do without the portraits as part of this story. They are very nice portraits but get in my way trying to feel the path to the ring.
raul,
you know how i feel about this one… i am glad i am able to see the rest of the pictures.
kudos. your work will always be intense.
Jim
I do not know why ou are confusing about “emerging photographer” again. For me the Burn and David’s intention is clear and simple.
And I have to say I do not understand most of your problems you have written about.
And what about a newcomer and a pro?
You mentioned about pro many times?
This is not site only for, including or excuding pro or amatour photographers.
What you mean pro?
I think ou have problem with fact that many amatour photographers made better photos than your pro herd and maybe than you.
This is your problem?
I come from small town in Poland. There lived some old pro photographer. She whole her life made passport or id photos. something about 2 min for person, the same light and position always. 50 years and pro certificate on the wall.
do you mean pro like this woman?
or maybe like 5 000 000 sports photographers? Where signature is sole confirmation who did this or that photo?
You mean this kind of pro?
ehhh… I do not understand you Jim… we are here because we are photography lovers. This is not pro club where we will talking about how many photos of soccer player we sold this month.
You mean this kind of pro?
Ok, this all is not m business.
Enjoy the life and photography Jim,
peace
The weather down here is just amazing… but the light and the people are even better. Sun is up..time to shoot. Thanks for your reply
Good point Jim, but it is early days for Burn. One of the best ways to develop your own photographic style is to look at other photographers work; not to copy but just to see the range of possibilities.
With this in mind I’m happy to see established photographers here and hope to see other industry professionals such as magazine editors and photographers explaining the process of e.g. the editor receiving a proposal from the photographer for a story and following the process from start to finish. Did the story evolve from the initial proposal? Which photos made the cut and why. Did editor and photog agree with the choice of photographs published? That sort of interview would be useful.
It is important for emerging photographers to see what is being produced by the leading photographers of the day. It sets a benchmark for them to aspire to and can only raise their game. I would encourage any emerging photographer to study the tearsheets that are posted on many photo agency websites (V11 and Noor come to mind). It’s a great way to see what’s being published and by whom and also allows you to study the layout of the essay; how photos are juxtaposed and used in different sizes for maximum effect.
Good light,
Mike.
Jim,
maybe it means “emerge” from another genre, “emerge” as a newcomer all together, emerge from old school thinking, emerge from another profession in a previous life ? Who knows ????? As Marcin said though am pretty sure it’s not related to pro versus amateur nor tearsheets.
Marcin, I believe that Jim is coming from the point of view that if a photographer is “emerging” then he / she is looking for publication in some form or other. If this is the case then Jim knows that it is a hard business to enter. Hope I’m not putting words into your mouth, Jim.
Of course you are perfectly correct, Marcin, about the often-confused terms pro and amateur.
A pro earns money from his photography.
An amateur pursues photography out of love for the craft.
Neither term gives an indication of the talent of the photographer per se.
It’s best to be a professional amateur. The holy Grail.
Best wishes,
Mike.
We are… in one way or another, always emerging, lets just celebrate photography and the important role it plays in our lives.
To everyone,
I have in a workshop with David and Raul, and I can not stress enough the fact that you guys should go and enroll in one, the enricher and broadened perspective of photography I did got with them worth it.
Raul and David, Thank you for keep on sharing and bulding bonds among us, people who enjoy photography.
Saludos a Zuki, Don Arturo, Cristina and everyone else.
J Sors
Mike,
I am fan of photography, not a fan of professional or correct photography or advertising photography or medicine photography. Photography don’t have to be the best even. If I have to like only the best photography I should put my cameras to case (my photography is one big shit), buy salgado and Nachtwey’s books and thats all, do nothing more.
If someone have problem with “burn” alwyas then sould buy this two books and maybe avedon’s and seat near fireplace with cup of tea.
Thank you Juan, all the best and I hope to see you soon. David left this morning at 6:30am but Cristina is still around. Suki never made it as he is somewhere in San Francisco. I will pass on your “saludos” Un abrazo
Why do I keep getting the feeling that our friend Jim Powers enjoys pushing our buttons? If you look back at the comments regarding the past several essays and selected photos, you’ll see lots of them directed to Jim. A devil’s advocate par excellence!
Regarding his latest “button,” I’d ask Jim to look again at what is written at the top of BURN’s home page where it says, “an evolving journal FOR emerging photographers” not BY emerging photographers.
And to be precise, a good number of our “emerging photographers” here on BURN are professionals, ie., they make their living taking photos. Not that it really matters. Does it? Aren’t we more interested in their photos and essays than in their line of work?
Patricia
Jim,
why not let the images speak to YOU?
as soon as you read a bio on someone, you are looking at their images in a box..
with expectations,
or not….
For me, it doesn’t matter who pressed the shutter..
it is about the photograph(s)
I’ve seen beautiful imagery captured by children..
its the photo that speaks to me,
not where the person is in their career…
Emerge: v, to rise or come into view: appear,
definition from the Webster’s dictionary…
**
ps
Jim,
I do, however, enjoy how you get things stirred up here…
always makes for interesting dialogue..
Don’t want you to feel that I am attacking YOU,
as I’m sure many here read the info about photogs b4 viewing their work…
you just put yourself out there,
and I like it!!!
**
We are all pieces of cosmic dust, meeting from opposite directions, some tagging along, some piggy back riding. Photography immortalizes a meeting of chance, supposedly, between photographer and his/her subjects. No matter how we think this dust is minuscule, what is inherent to it is something we can’t deny: it is cosmic and therefore driven by gravity and more than an ounce of magnetism.
Thanks to all the mentors out there who have the courage and passion to share. We, your students will always be in debt.
Raul, I find myself wondering why you chose to post such a grisly image as your cover photo? In my eyes it is not reflective of the essay as a whole. Thank god. And for any vegetarian/animal rights viewers, you took a good chance of losing us before we’d even clicked on the slideshow. Actually it wasn’t until a few minutes ago that I finally got up enough nerve to go there myself. I closed my eyes through image #1 and from then on all was well.
You offer a most engaging view into an unseen part of the bullfighting: the training of children–especially girls–to take up the sport. Like many here, I would love to see an essay devoted to this one girl and her life both in and out of the ring. She has a story to tell.
I truly admire your work, Raul. I went to your web site and got lost in the color, light, life and people. You have a unique POV and, like a magician, manage to drop us INSIDE a place and culture. Hope we meet at LOOK3 in June!
Patricia
Holly Cow, did i miss a lot last night…..
call me hung-over (yes, true) but I totally do not comprehend many of the thoughts expressed above. Bewildering to say the least….
First let me say that I think this essay is beautiful and brilliant. Why brilliant? To begin with Raul has told this story in reverse, which is quite a sly way of allowing the narrative to unfold in a remarkably unexpected way (like a Cortazar story). Opening with the slaughtered bull and following this image with a brilliant ‘action’ shot is ingenious because it actually acts as an inversion of typical narrative tension, whereby typically the story would be pics of matadors preparing, silence, enter the ring, and then culminating in the war with the bull and ending in death. Raul has done the exact opposite of this, beginning at the end so to speak and getting all the ‘action’ and ‘tension’ over with quickly, which allows for a quiet unfolding of the story, as the story progresses we grow increasingly interested and connected to these children, their life, their story and less interested in the ‘bull fighting’, the ‘spectacle’, the death and violence and by the end, we become focused on who these kids are (i want to know much more) and their world (that is the brilliance of photo 17 and why i think it is a critical necessity, even if it looks different from every other photograph, because it is that tension it creates, which shocks us and yet again takes out out of the ring, and Raul has decided to include only 1 of these ‘meta’ pictures…and that’s all the story needs, before the return to the ‘story’ of young bullfighters) and their family and the SILENCE around them….Raul, just fucking ingenious story telling…i mean, we’ve all seen 1,000,000 stories on bullfighting (and i have a friend whose prepared a book on bullfighting, Carlos Cazalis) and yet here is, albeit short and about the surface of things, a story that tries to counter the expectations of the viewers….
on top of that the pictures are just beautiful, great use of color and empty space. clausterphobic? you have be fucking kidding me…..Raul uses space the way a poet uses pauses and lines to break up the speed and tension of the rhyme. I also love picture 16 and thing it is NECESSARy not only ’cause it’s vertical, and acts as a visual fulcrum but also it works as a kind of literary device (sorry for the over-extended writing metaphors) which removes us again from the world in the ring. The only picture that does not work for me is 15. I think 2 vertical pics feels odd, given all the horizontal and the visual language in all the pictures, and also, Raul has 2 great pics of this bullfighter with the same outfit (and of course other outfits) and this portrait just feels the least successful and doesnt feel as a part of the rest of the story (though, of course, it is a technically beautiful photograph). So, for me, a brilliant, intelligent, beautiful essay filled not only with technically great pics but emotionally intimate images too and a story that is told in a quiet interesting way….just, i didnt want 15 ;))), not here at least….
as for the issue of ‘emerging’ photographers. Good god, who the fuck cares. Let’s have a magazine that celebrates photography and itself is emerging by putting together both young/old emerging photographers (god damn, i hate this word) with young/old pros (a word i hate more). What is interesting is that a conversation about photography emerges from the tension described by seeing work by both sets of photographers (those who’ve achieved some professional recognition and those whose work is little known). My only wish for Burn is that it continue to EXPAND;;
get other work, conceptual work, work that deals with questions about photography, photography about dissolution, created negatives, appropriated images, performance photography, contrived photography, digital-manipulation photography, etc etc etc…let’s get burn to showcase ALL the possibilities that are out there and not just ‘traditional’ documentary work or work that is still convention in it’s thinking and application….and I know David is doing this, hunting for work, hoping for work to come in that is different, …and im trying like hell to get people i know whose work is not like what we’ve seen mostly here at Burn…trying to get David to see the work and get them to submit….but, BURN is only 8 weeks ago….i mean Still-Dancing is like 2 years….diversity will come…and i think the fact that David has established photographers and non-established (how’s that instead of the lamentable emerging shit) published here is a great great think(g)! :))
Ok, i have to go for now…sorry Raul for the Rant….
I really LOVED this piece…and what a great cure for a hung-over boy ;)))
great work Raul!Thanks so much for sharing! :))
cheers
wobbling away for a few days
bob
THE DEAD BULL IS A BRILLIANT OPENING! :))))))….i think i explained why…:)))…it not only sets us up for opposite expectations (the story will not culminate in death) but also allows us to know that no matter what the sport is about this death and it forces us to reconcile ourselves to that but also allows us know that these children must come to terms with the death of these animals…right from the beginning…i think it’s the only place for the image, certainly not the ending, then the story wouldnt be about the children but about the death of the animal…and we need this in order for us to experience what these children must grapple with….
hugs
bob
Raul………..
yes yes yes…C/Ville… beer…
yes , that Raul name was so familiar…..
my memory was so weak…. you are also a maestro..
no wonder David has so much respect for you…
again… good job man…
you have a lot to offer…
are we meeting again this year…
( beers on David….:))))))))))))))))))))……)
Well, Bob, we each see things differently, don’t we? You believe the dead bull is a brilliant opening. I found it to be an incredible turn off. Neither is right; each is different. I’d still like to hear Raul speak to it…
Patricia
Hey Raul…
you might be right about shooting the bull with a fish eye…
smiling…..
peace y’all from cloudy LA
I’d love to be able to talk about what this is, or isn’t, or wax poetic on the ruddy motes of stardust suspended still in the blistering heated slant of an equatorial sun, but suffice it to say in true curmudgeonly newsroom speak as I raise my glasses to the top of my head with nicotine-stained fingers, lean back in my creaking antique oak chair, squint, grunt and tease what passes as a smile out of the corner of my mouth, that I truly enjoyed this. That is the highest compliment I can give and it is why I am here everyday. Burn on brother.