A Very Long Trip

This picture is an example of what happens when you are jet lagged and tired all at once. You take weird chances. At least I do. For sure, I made some high energy peak moment photographs. Then my brain shut off and I just I just saw pictures.

Click, click, click…

I usually have a routine to get me to the place where just a nine hour flight, not sleeping and suffering from serious jet lag, did. There was one big, no, make that a huge difference. When my routine kicks me into the zone, or the flow, I can usually work for three hours or so. Then my energy is gone. The flow stops flowing and I’m done for awhile.

That’s normal.

Being upside down jet lagged and tired I had no idea when I stopped. I had no idea where I was. I had no idea who my traveling crew were. Or, why we were in Portugal. I thought I got one the wrong plane.

The next day…

We were all better except that we woke up way too early. And, drank too much coffee.

Anyway.

This was made in the old days. On film, not digital. I couldn’t check my my LCD because there wasn’t one. I had to wait until I returned home to see if my exposures were even close. I’m sure there were probably some good labs in Porto or Lisbon but our fixer wasn’t sure about quality so he suggested we just take our film home.

We thought that was a good idea so we did.

Remember, I made this picture on our first day in country when I was jet lagged and stuff. Between then and when we climbed on our planes for home, I made about 200 rolls of film. Ugh. Lots of work but it meant that I forgot what I did earlier in my stay.

When I eventually looked at the film I was surprised. This picture. Art for the wall. It’s a popular picture. Art on a lot of walls.

In case you are wondering, yes, I photographed a bullfight. Stop, stop, stop… bull fighting is not like anywhere else. It’s a fair fight. The bull never dies or gets hurt. Most of the event is symbolic. I couldn’t photograph bull fighting as we normally think of it. If you forced me to do it I’d make the pictures so bloody and nasty that you couldn’t publish it in the travel publications for whom I was working.

Besides, I always root for the animal.