PAMPLONA, Spain (AP) — Miguel Osés lives in Pamplona, in northern Spain, and has been working with The Associated Press for two years.
Here’s what he had to say about this extraordinary photo.
Why this photo?
This photograph was taken during the Running of the Bulls (el encierro) at the San Fermín festival, which is celebrated every year in Pamplona. The photo was captured at the famous Mercaderes Curve, right where it turns into Estafeta Street.
Every day, a small group of photographers draws cards from a deck to determine the spots we will occupy. Personally, I believe this is one of the most interesting and dangerous points of the entire route because it is a sharp bend, and the animals come in at high speed.
How I made this photo
The photograph was taken from atop the wooden barricades that protect the route, about 2.5 meters (8 feet) above the ground. This height gives us a fairly wide view of the street and the curve.
When shooting this scene, you have to keep in mind that the run starts at 8 a.m. between very narrow, tall streets. Because of this, and the fact that the run is incredibly fast and chaotic, I had to use a fast shutter speed (1/1250) and a high ISO (2000).
Out of the three cameras I set up in different remote locations every day, this was the one I was holding in my hands. I saw the pack of bulls coming in very tight and fast, and I knew they could crash against the barricade, sweeping the runners away. I captured a lot of frames, and out of all the ones I sent to the AP, this was the one selected by my editor.
Why this photo works
This photograph captures the sheer danger of this famous run. People tend to forget, but these are six fighting bulls weighing more than 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) running through the city streets surrounded by hundreds of people. You can feel the power of the animals facing the runners, along with the vivid colors and the expressions on people’s faces.
From my point of view, the image works because of both the runners and the contrast between the color of the animals and the gray pavement. The entire pack was running tight and fast, which ended up sweeping away the runners you see in the frame.
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