This series combines my interest in portraiture with the bittersweet appeal of documenting a disappearing way of life. I suspect I'm responding to what I see as a certain quiet nobility in the resolute, dignified way in which these men pursue a profession that is anachronistically brutal and viscerally dramatic. Both defying and eliciting unlikely nostalgia, these images invoke WPA photographers, whose use of conventional fine-art techniques in depictions of hard labor challenged and expanded the role of portraiture in modern society. Presenting this portfolio in black & white diffuses the aggressive bloodiness of the scene in order to highlight the human element, avoiding shock-value in favor of a more nuanced contemplation of disparate perspectives on tradition and so-called progress.

The Bull Arrives from the Ring - Plaza de Toros 'El Toreo' - Tijuana, Mexico - 1998

The giant bulls mature in pastures that are segregated from human contact.

Archival pigment print from medium format film exposure.