THE JOURNALS OF A TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER — SERIES —
SPAIN 3
Four days in Pamplona during the Festival of San Fermin
Spain 3
Four days in Pamplona during the Festival of San Fermin
THE JOURNALS OF A TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER SERIES
Michael C. Snell is a travel photographer based in Lawrence, Kansas. His images have been published in numerous travel guides, magazines, books and websites worldwide. Michael says, “Travel photography is about capturing what is unique about a place through images of its people, architecture, landscape, food and other details that are telling of the culture.” He shoots on assignment and also licenses stock images through a variety of agencies and outlets.
Each book in the “Journals of a Travel Photographer” Series
looks at one specific photo-gathering trip Michael has made. Some of these trips were of his own making, scheduled specifically to be at the right place at the right time for best light. In other cases, they were press trips arranged for groups of journalists— largely comprised of writers. That type of trip can be challenging to a photographer as they tend to be tightly scheduled with little time at any given location. The trips are intended as introductions or overviews to a place the journalist might not already be familiar with.
Similarly, these books are not intended to be complete, in-depth
studies of a place or culture. Instead, they are a record of a brief journey—an opportunity for the rest of us to “ride along” and experience life as a professional photographer working on location.
To learn more about Michael, his photos, or other books in this series, visit his website at michaelcsnell.com.
above :
Saint Fermín was, in the 3rd century, from Pamplona but he later became a bishop in Toulouse, France. He returned to Pamplona as its first bishop and later died in Amiens. Venerated in the 12th century, he is the patron saint of bakers, boot makers, and wine traders.
There have been many times in my life as a travel photographer when I have found myself wondering, “how on earth did I get here?” Not in the literal sense — I’m obviously well aware of how I physically arrived — but in that sense of wondering how I was so lucky as to be in the many phenomenal places that I have found myself in during my career. Witnessing the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona was one of those times, and one of those places. I was there at the invitation of the Pamplona City Hall Tourist Board, the Tourist Office of Spain and Iberia Airlines in order to see Pamplona, and to experience the city during the famous Festival of San Fermin. The Running of the Bulls is spectacular, but there is so much more to this festival that doesn’t get much promotion outside of Spain. Is this a complete guide to the Festival of San Fermin? Definitely not. The festival is an eight-day event and I was there for only four days during the middle of it. Even during that time, I could not experience — nor document — everything that was happening. There were also events that took place before I arrived and after I left that are not included here. What this book is, however, is a record of my own, personal, San Fermin experience. I hope it will inspire others to seek out their own experiences in and around Pamplona.
left :
Pamplona’s City Hall. I would see my first encierro (running of the bulls) from one of its balconies.
©2015 Michael C. Snell, all rights reserved. Michael C. Snell Photography is a division of Shade of the Cottonwood, L.L.C., a creative services company based in Lawrence, KS.
MICHAELCSNELL.COM
Spain 3 Four days in Pamplona during the festival of San Fermin
July 8-11, 2014:
Pamplona
Pamplona is a beautiful city at any time, but it really comes to life during the Festival of San Fermin each July when the streets fill with joyful people wearing white with red scarves and sashs.
Architecture: The Plaza del Castillo Pamplona, Spain
The buildings surrounding the Plaza del Castillo, one of Pamplona’s main squares, shows the common theme of numerous doors and windows with shallow balconies. The buildings are tall, due to early regulations that kept growth whithin the old city walls.
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The old city walls and a star fortress still exist and now provide wonderful greenspaces and walking paths for this otherwise tightly-packed city.
Many feel that Hemingway is responsible for making the Festival of San Fermín and the Running of the Bulls famous through his novel, The Sun Also Rises, that was published in 1926 and is largely set in Pamplona during the festival.
Today, on the Plaza del Castillo, you can pay a visit to the man himself in a small bar within the Café Iruña (above), which also figures prominently in the novel. It is said that the café was one of Hemingways’ favorite places in the city.
Encierro: The Running of the Bulls Pamplona, Spain
Each morning during the Festival of San Fermin, six bulls are run through the streets to the bullring. Crowds gather early — both those who wish to run alongside the bulls and those who just want to watch the spectacle and enjoy the excitement vicariously.
Pamplona’s numerous balconies become prime real estate each morning for watching the encierro, or “Running of the Bulls.”
The route is inspected just prior to the beginning of the Running of the Bulls in the streets of Pamplona.
Steers that have been familiarized with the course are run alongside the bulls to help guide them and keep them from turning back.
On my first morning of watching the encierro (I would get to see it three times in all) I had the good fortune to have a prime spot on a balcony on the side of Pamplona’s City Hall.
Two views from another morning and another balcony, this time on Calle Estafeta. This is a long straight section of the route that the bulls take on their way toward the ring. The darker animals are the bulls and the lighter, spotted ones are the steers that help guide the bulls.
The last bull passes by before entering the bullring, followed by one of the steers. These two shots were taken from a street-level postion I had for my second of three encierros.
Churros & Chocolate A Post-encierro ritual Pamplona, Spain
Not long after the final bull enters the ring ending the morning’s encierro does the line begin to form outside of the Churreria. Sometimes called a “Spanish doughnut� churros are often served with hot chocolate both as a dip and a drink. Like most doughnuts, they are amazing when served fresh and hot.
With a back room that looks somewhat more like a blacksmith’s shop than a kitchen, Pamplona’s Churreria la Mañueta is a local landmark. Churros get their unique flavor from ax-cut beech wood fires.
Music and dancing fill the spaces between Festival events. Even the waiters and waitresses of the Europa Restaurant put on a show for lunch guests (above).
More music, more dancing. It’s the Festival of San Fermin.
The Diocese and Cathedral Museum Pamplona, Spain
The Occidens is a permanent gallery within the Diocese and Cathedral Museum that explores Western history and culture but beyond the museum exhibits, the Cathedral of Pamplona itself is a destination well worth exploring. Its Gothic cloister dates to the 13th century.
The Rococo Sacristy of the Cathedral of Pamplona breaks from the Gothic theme with a vengeance.
Back on the streets of Pamplona, if a crowd is gathering, you can bet something spectacular is about to happen.
the Giants and the Bigheads Pamplona, Spain
Among the more visually spectacular events during Pamplona’s Festival of San FermĂn are the parades of the Giants and the Bigheads. The Giants are around 13 feet tall and were made in 1860 to replace previous sculptures that had become worn.
There are four pairs of Kings and Queens, representing the peoples of the four parts of the world: Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. Dancers hidden inside carry the Giants along the street, spinning and swaying as they go. Joining them are several smaller characters that “protect” the Giants and interact
with the crowd. Together, the group comprises a “comparsa” that creates an unforgettable experience for the Festival attendees.
The Festival of San Fermín is far more than just the Running of the Bulls — it’s a community event. Families gather for meals in the narrow streets of the Old City
For visitors, the restaurants encircling the Plaza del Castillo offer a variety of dining options as well as all forms of entertainment.
Pamplona (or Iru単a, in Basque) is the capital of the autonomous community of Navarre, in northern Spain. The Roman General Pompey is considered the founder of the city, after using the area as an encampment in 74 BC. A long and colorful history followed.
Sculptures at the base of the monument to the Charter of Navarre on the Paseo de Sarasate.
Fountain and gardens along Avenue San Ignacio.
There are balconies everywhere, and nearly as many flowerboxs.
right :
The chapel of San Fermin is located inside the church of San Lorenzo.
the Bullfights
The six bulls that run through the streets of Pamplona in the morning find themselves back in the ring in the afternoon. Three matadores meet two bulls each in an electric atmosphere that rivals that of major sporting events in the U.S.
Each matador has in their cuadrilla, or team, two picadores (lancers) on horseback, three banderilleros (flagmen) and a mozo de espada (sword servant). The fight itself is comprised of three very specific stages; the Tercio de Varas, the Tercio de Banderillas, and the Tercio de Muerte.
A banderillero prepares himself before entering the ring.
left :
Iván Fandiño prepares for his first of two bullfights on this afternoon during the 2014 Festival of San Fermín.
The picadores enter the bullring.
Juan JosĂŠ Padilla faces a bull during the 2014 Festival of San FermĂn.
IvĂĄn FandiĂąo facing a large bull during the 2014 Festival of San Fermin. The animals can weigh up to 1,300 lbs.
Juan JosĂŠ Padilla lost an eye to a bull in 2011 but returned to the bullring five months later.
left :
Juan José Padilla.
A close call as Iván Fandiño is lifted into the air when a bull’s horn pierces his pantleg. Fandino escaped serious injury and finished the fight.
Beyond Pamplona
The Church of Saint Mary of Eunate Navarre Region
If the bustle of the Festival becomes too overwhelming, you don’t have to go far outside of Pamplona to experience the countryside and quaint villages of the Navarre region. Located in the countryside, rather than in a village, the 12th century Romanesque Church of Saint Mary of Eunate holds many mysteries.
Puente la Reina Navarre Region
The Puente la Reina, or “Queen’s Bridge,” has spanned the River Arga since the 11th century on the edge of the town that shares its name.
The Church of Santiago el Mayor in Puente la Reina was constructed in the 12th century and expanded in the 15th/16th centuries. Its stunning altarpiece dates from the 18th century. The spire is visible from the length of the main street (Calle Mayor) of this town of a little more than 2500 people.
The Church of Santiago el Mayor.
Uterga Navarre Region
Uterga is a small town not far from Pamplona but far enough to feel remote and undisturbed from an earlier time. Catching a quick coffee here can easily — and enjoyably — turn into hours of sitting on a terrace, watching the changing light on the surrounding fields.
Wines from the Navarre DO (Designation of Origin) display great diversity due to the wide variety of landscapes found in this unique confluence of the continental, Mediterranean, and Atlantic climate zones. One example from the area; the Palacio de Muruzรกbal winery is located in a 17th century Palace in the small town of Muruzรกbal, not far from Puente la Reina.
THE JOURNALS OF A TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER SERIES
technical notes :
The following is a list of the equipment I took with me on this trip and that produced all of the photos in this book. All images were RAW captures, processed in Lightroom 5. The book itself was designed in Adobe InDesign CC 2014 and printed using Blurb.com. camera bodies :
Nikon D700 and Nikon D7000 Nikkor 17-35mm, 80-200mm and Tamron 16-300mm and 150600mm zooms. lenses :
M ICHAE LCSNE L L.C OM
Thanks to the Tourist Office of Spain in Chicago, Iberia Airlines, Turismo de Pamplona, AC Ciudad de Pamplona, Paradores de Turismo, and everyone else who worked so hard to make this trip such a success. Special thanks to Francisco Glaria Baines of NOVOTUR for his amazing guide services and for keeping me safe on the “front lines” of the encierro! To learn more about Michael C. Snell’s photography, or to find out about other books in this series, visit michaelcsnell.com
THERE HAVE BEEN MANY TIMES in my life as a travel photographer when I have found myself wondering, “how on earth did I get here?” Not in the literal sense — I’m obviously well aware of how I physically arrived — but in that sense of wondering how I was so lucky as to be in the many phenomenal places that I have found myself in during my career. Witnessing the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona was one of those times, and one of those places. I was there at the invitation of the Pamplona City Hall Tourist Board, the Tourist Office of Spain and Iberia Airlines in order to see Pamplona, and to experience the city during the famous Festival of San Fermin. The Running of the Bulls is spectacular, but there is so much more to this festival that doesn’t get much promotion outside of Spain. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Michael C. Snell is a travel photographer based in Lawrence, Kansas. Shooting on assignment and for stock, his images have appeared worldwide in a variety of travel guides, magazines, websites, brochures and books. He is a photographer member of the Society of American Travel Writers. ABOUT THE SERIES: In this series of books, Michael shares images he made during his photographic travels along with a few behind-the-scenes notes on their capture. Visit michaelcsnell.com for a complete list of titles.
©2015 Michael C. Snell, all rights reserved. Michael C. Snell Photography is a division of Shade of the Cottonwood, L.L.C., a creative services company based in Lawrence, Kansas.
MICHAEL C SNELL PHOTOGRAPHY
assignment & stock travel images
WWW.MICHAELCSNELL.COM