Man vs. Beast

This photo, taken in Rupp Arena June 30 at the Dodge Xtreme Bulls Ride Hart Tour, shows you how brave the rodeo bullfighters (and don’t call them rodeo “clowns”) can be in the ring with these fierce animals. The bullfighters’ main job is to get between a downed rider and the bull, so that the bull won’t hook or stomp the rider. But bullfighter Matt Baldwin also gave a love tap to this bull while the rider was still aboard! It looked like Baldwin was trying to get in position so that when the rider was either bucked off or dismounted after a successful ride, he’d be ready. I’d like to give you the rider’s name, but welcome to my world: the only cowboy NOT listed in the roster of competitors was this guy, number 45!
Also, this is one of the few sports that I found the Nikon D2’s “whatever is closest to the camera will be sharp” autofocus setting worked best. The bull can make a wicked sharp turn, and then an autofocus spot will move off the rider or bull in a hurry. Yes, sometimes a bullfigher can come in the edge of the frame and throw off the “closest to the camera” autofocus, but I found that it works generally well.

Tech info: Nikon D2, 1/500 sec., 80mm, f2.8, 800 ISO, Auto White Balance.

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