Photographers and International Agencies

This post is a tribute to photographers of Diario de Navarra Newspaper that during Navarre San Fermín 2014 will be again at the forefront of the Running of the Bulls providing all the news of San Fermin Festival.  

José Carlos Cordovilla, Jorge Nagore, Javier Sesma, Eduardo Buxens Jesus Garzarón Naomi Larumbe Larrión José Luis Enrique Pimuolier Jesus Caso, Fernando Pidal, Pachi Calleja, Carlos Calleja, Aitor Esparza, Ruben Albarran, Cristina Abbey Koldo and Turrets Alberto Galdona.

Foto Jorge Nagore

By the way! The long crisis we are living has also affected the number of photographers who come to San Fermin. Some international agencies have covered the Running with the Bulls with only one photographer from day 11. In fact, the fateful last year, July 13 a curious thing happened. Nor EFE, Reuters, AFP and Getty had a single picture of what happened in the Plaza. My newspaper gave some images to EFE, and all agencies had to find different pictures of amateurs or freelancers who were in the Plaza.

I´m glad that a freelance photographer was over there to photograph that horrible moment.

Jose Luis Larrión

Amazing photographer and even a better person. He has photographed the Running of the Bulls over 30 years. In this link you can see and hear a brief and interesting interview. Worth seeing the pictures displayed José Luis Larrión "30 Sanfermines fotografiando carreras"

José Luis Larrión at the Town Hall befote the Running of the 

Photography obtained through the blog prensa2blogst.com

Veterans photographers in San Fermín

Zubieta and Retegui’s photographs have been an icon of the San Fermin festival since 1940. His family has donated half a million snapshots to the Pamplona City Council.

These are a small sample of his photographs of the San Fermín Festival:

Rafa Rivas

Rafa Rivas is a photographer who works on their own. Here you can see some of his photographs of the Bull Running.

If you want to see the work of this great professional you can click this link

www.rafarivas.photoshelter.com

Photographers in the Curve of Mercaderes

Photographers start arriving to the Curve of Mercaderes between four and half past five in the morning. Obtain an accreditation to photograph the Bull Run does not mean to have a specific place reserved. The Curve is a privileged place to get that single snapshot of the bull by a few inches to the target without risking his life.

In this small space is respected the order of arrival is (as in the fish market). The photographers wait two or three hours to be one of the thirteen who are admitted.

American John Kimmich is been repeating every year in the 'Curve' spot. Besides he is a great photographer, he is an early riser and patient male as it repeats for 21 years. In the photograph is the third, counting from the right.

International Press Agencies

It seems that the crisis has also affected the number of photographers who come to San Fermin. Some international agencies have covered the Bullrun with one photographer from the 11^th July. Indeed, the fateful day 13^th July a curious thing happened. Neither EFE, or Reuters, AFP and Getty agencies hadn’t a single photo of the tragedy that was happening at the entrance of the Bullfight Ring. The Journal “El Pais” gave some images to EFE, and all the rest agencies had to seek pictures from amateurs or freelancers who were in the Bullfight Ring at that momnet.

Photographers on the Dead Man Curve. (Mercaderes & Estafeta St.)

The balconies and the fencing among the Running of the Bulls itinerary is our workplace during the Running of the Bulls, says Jonan Basterra. “In the fence you can put yourself half sitting on the vertical pole, resting your feet on the second horizontal piece of wood with one foot in and one out like a clamp. So your feet are like five feet from the ground, you will still feel a bit exposed not only to the runner but to the bulls that might pass too close to the fence.

In the 22 years of taking pictures, Jonan has seen many colleagues falling but fortunately none of them had serious injuries. We explained that one year a colleague was injured in his cheek when with the impact of an object generated by a bull sliding on the famous Dead Man Corner.  

The famous Dead Man Curve (Mercaderes & Estafeta St) is perhaps the most dangerous for photographers, especially when the bulls it the fenced or when they raise their heads as they get up. And even more if the bulls are the Miura Livestock as they are very big and pass far too skim as happened in these images taken by Fernando Pídalas. You can see how the carpenters on this area (they ought to be permanently just in case they have to solve an urgent problem) deviate a little when they see the bulls coming but on horn scraping the elbow of the photographer Jesús Garzarón.