Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Charreada: The Girls

Click on the photos, please
Warming-up before the opening ceremony, the young girls show off their skills at handling horses.


Typical of the escaramuza part of the show, criss-crossing patterns and near misses show that the girls are as brave as the men.
Remember, they're riding side-saddle in big traditional dresses!


A lucky catch for me; not so lucky for the girl who is just now falling from her horse. The spectators and other riders are just starting to realize what has happened.
Looking through the viewfinder it was hard for me to tell if there was a collision, but it may have been that her mount reared-up to avoid one. I definitely saw the horse jump and twist, throwing her off the saddle. You can see a hand grab the mane as she tries to keep from falling.


Some help arrives in a timely manner, and all is well.
Smiles and applause--and the show resumes.


This portrait is proving to be popular, and I'm very proud of it.
I caught her in a moment when she's at once serious and graceful and cute, which somehow manages to completely overshadow the fact that there's dirt and horseshit behind her.


The Charros are next!

2 comments:

Bruce said...

Keith, I guess technically this recent series of your's qualifies as "photojournalism."

Whatever, I think it's well done, and I'm enjoying it.

Keith Alan K said...

Thanks, Bruce. When I attend an event like this I don't really alter my intuitive choice of photos, but afterwards I tend to think in terms of a magazine article where I get to write my own captions instead of letting an editor do it. I'm glad you're liking it, and happy I finally got out to shoot something new.