Photojournalist Miguel Osés, who works in the northern region of Spain and has been part of the team of collaborators at the Associated Press agency for two seasons, opened up behind the scenes of one of the most emblematic records of the San Fermín festival. The image, which hit the pages of global publications on July 17, 2026, provides a unique perspective on the traditional bullfight in the city of Pamplona. The event, which attracts thousands of tourists annually and gained worldwide fame in the last century through literature, requires pinpoint precision from press professionals trying to document the chaos in the narrow streets of the Spanish town.
The geographical complexity of the famous Curva das Mercaderes on the Spanish route
The moment frozen by the professional’s lens documents the most critical section of “el encierro”, the name given by local residents to the release of animals along urban roads. The capture took place exactly at the point where the route makes an abrupt transition towards Rua Estafeta. This sector of the route requires runners and animals to change direction quickly, which often results in slipping and violent collisions against side protections, creating a scenario of constant unpredictability for those observing and those participating.
The distribution of media professionals along the route does not happen by chance, but rather through a daily draw that defines the position of each photo reporter. Being positioned at Curva das Mercaderes means taking on the most coveted and, simultaneously, the most dangerous position of the entire festival. The sharp angle of the street, combined with the extreme speed of the herd that runs down the stone pavement, transforms the place into a true human and animal funnel during the few minutes of the morning race.
Positioning strategies and equipment configurations in extreme conditions
To guarantee his own physical integrity and obtain a clear angle of the crowd, the Associated Press contributor had to position himself approximately 2.5 meters high. The observation post was set up on the heavy wooden barricades that delimit the official path and protect spectators who follow the herd’s passage. This strategic elevation allowed for an unobstructed view of the asphalt, eliminating the visual obstacles that the sea of people dressed in white and red naturally creates at ground level.
The dynamics of the festivities impose severe technical barriers to capturing clear images. The firing of the rocket that releases the animals takes place precisely at 8 am, a time when sunlight still has difficulty penetrating the tall, historic buildings of local architecture. Faced with this precarious lighting and frenetic movement, photographic equipment needs to be adjusted to operate at the limit of its technological capacity.
- Adoption of an extremely fast shutter speed, set at 1/1250, essential for freezing the action without leaving traces of blur in the image.
- Increased sensor sensitivity to ISO 2000, compensating for the lack of natural light on streets shadowed by dawn.
- Direct manual operation of the equipment at this specific point, while other secondary cameras operated remotely in inaccessible locations.
The exact moment of impact against wooden protective structures
Previous experience covering the event allowed the professional to anticipate the behavior of the herd. By observing the rapid approach of the group of animals, he calculated the exact moment at which the centrifugal force would push the bulls against the containment barrier. This prediction resulted in recording the moment in which runners lose their balance and fall to the ground, trying to escape being crushed against the protective boards that separate the track from the safe sidewalk.
A photojournalist’s routine at an event of this magnitude involves producing hundreds of digital files in a matter of seconds. After the end of the run, the raw material goes through rigorous and accelerated sorting. Among dozens of frames captured during the herd’s passage through the curve, the photograph that shows the imminent fall and the brute strength of the animals was chosen by the news agency’s central edition to be distributed to media outlets across the planet.
The visual weight of recording half-ton animals at high speed
The attractive power of photography lies in its ability to materialize the risk of death that hangs over Spanish tradition. In the heat of the moment, collective euphoria often masks the physical reality of the event: it is a group of fighting bulls, bred specifically for combat, with each specimen easily exceeding the 500 kilo mark. The image exposes the tense muscles of the animals advancing as a solid block against hundreds of vulnerable people trying to maintain the pace of the race.
In addition to the psychological tension expressed in the participants’ body expression, the composition stands out for its raw and direct color palette. The author of the click highlights that the strength of the image comes from the violent contrast between the dark coat of the bulls and the grayish surface of the urban asphalt. The compact block formed by horns, hooves and stampeding revelers creates a dynamic visual mass, leaving a trail of fallen corridors that make up the background of the photographic work.
The perpetuation of a centuries-old tradition through modern photojournalism
The work of visual documentation in Pamplona goes beyond the simple recording of a popular festival that drives the local economy. By setting the correct settings and choosing the exact angle, press professionals can translate the adrenaline of an event that lasts less than three minutes into a permanent piece of history. The capture at Curva das Mercaderes exemplifies how technical mastery combined with journalistic instinct can transform absolute chaos into a clear visual narrative, highlighting human fragility in the face of the relentless force of nature in the middle of an urban environment.
