Sol y Sombra

Lupita Lopez

Lupita Lopez gestures to the crowd in Artesia, California on August 1, 2016.

Lupita Lopez

Although bullfights in California (usually held as part of Portuguese festivals) are by law, bloodless, for the bulls, they are not necessarily bloodless for the matadors!

With her first bull of the evening, Lupita Lopez was doing a pass on her knees (a rodillas). The bull's horn caught on the cape (muleta), and she lost her balance and fell to the ground. The bull attacked her, and she narrowly escaped serious injury.

Lupita Lopez

Lupita Lopez performs at a bloodless bullfight in Artesia California on August 1, 2016.

Her outfit is torn at the right hip, as a few minutes earlier the bull's horn caught on her cape, while she was performing a pass on her knees (a rodillas). She lost her balance, fell, and narrowly escaped serious injury as the bull attacked her while she was on the ground. Yet she manages a smile for the crowd!

 

Lupita Lopez

Lupita Lopez peforms at a bloodless bullfight in Artesia, California, on August 1, 2016.

The sun was setting during the bullfight, which afforded for some spectacular lighting. Here the sun illuminates only part of Lupita.

Lupita Lopez

Lupita Lopez, peforming in a bloodless bullfight in Artesia, California, on August 1, 2016.

Welcome

Welcome to Sol y Sombra, my new blog dedicated to bullfight photography!

I became interested in bullfight photography nine years ago, but only now am I dedicating a site to it.

I have photos from dozens of bullfights over those years to share, many of which I have not even reviewed! I will be posting photos from recent bullfights along with photos from past bullfights as time goes on.

I recently attended a "bloodless" bullfight in Artesia, California, where I was fortunate to meet Lupita Lopez, certainly Mexico's prettiest matador, as well as Cesar Castañeda, a very popular matador from the San Diego/Tijuana area.

I will post photos of both of them over the next few days.

I am currently reviewing photos from a recent trip to Spain, and will soon post photos from that trip, which included the Corrida Goyesca in Ronda, as well as the emotional tribute to Victor Barrios which took place in Valladolid on September 4, featuring six of the world's top matadors.

Here is a photo of Lupita Lopez which I took in Tijuana in 2011, during a bullfight featuring three female matadors. What impressed me most during this bullfight was the grace in which each of the women performed with the capote. This part of the bullfight is sometimes given short-shrift by male matadors, which disappoints me, as it can be quite beautiful.