critique please - Cuban cockfighters, a photo story

[Bob Michaels]

I would love to hear suggestions for improvement about this 16 image photo story with accompanying captions. I strive to convey information by using little stories rather than displaying individual photos.

http://bobmichaels.org/cockfighters/index.html

Please, CRITIQUE! I've got thick skin.
Tell me if you think the story flows. Did you learn something interesting?

Opening photo. Do note: this is a story and not a series of portraits.

 

[Larry Cloetta]

Bob, this isn’t much of a critique because I am not much of a critic, but I thought that was great, and, yes, I did learn something. I already had a pretty good understanding of the activity, but the pictures made it much more concrete for me.
It immediately brought to mind Tom Russell’s “Gallo del Cielo”, which If it is not the best “story” song of all time, it’s the best I have ever heard. (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=w2PUuTdei7k Though listening on a stereo is better than on YouTube).
Your pictorial and the song run together in my head to a certain extent, thanks for posting.

Hopefully, someone else will be better at helpful photographic criticism.

 

[Archiver]

When I saw, 'Cuban cockfighters', I immediately thought of men jousting with their 'cigars'. Probably not what was intended?

 

[bmattock]

Fascinating photos, thank you.

 

[Joao]

Excellent set, nice photos. You were able to show very well the people's "aficcion" and excitment. I don't remember seeing this activity so well documented.
Thank you for posting the link.

Regards

Joao

 

[jarski]

Interesting story and photos, thanks.

 

[Guth]

The world's history is full of acts that I consider to be reprehensible carried out by a diverse set of cultures. People have demonstrated plenty of gruesome actions under the guise of tradition. Not just these people in Cuba. Not just situations involving animals.

From my perspective, the photos and words that you've presented looks like something put together for the cockfighting chamber of commerce.

 

[retinax]

I'll agree it gives a great sense if being there. Well rounded story.
Perhaps use the wounded cock as the last picture, or something else if you don't like that as a statement, the one with the hat seems too trivial to me.
I see room for improvement in composition. Some pictures like the first one would be better if there were no person right behind the cock. And the cut off heads in some irk me, not much point looking at people if you can't see their faces I feel.
Because moral or ethics will come up, I think its better to write a sentece or two about your perspective and perhaps how it's seen in Cuba, rather than trying to appear neutral.

 

[jarski]

..., rather than trying to appear neutral.

I don't think it doesn't trying to be anything, but is neutral. What other approach would there be, besides Western moral police waving a finger?

 

[Peter Jennings]

In reportage, I know the goal is usually to be objective and neutral, but I think your presentation shows a greater sympathy for the cultural traditions of the Cubans than for the well being of the cocks. Do the cocks ever die from their wounds? From what you've presented, one would never know.

 

[Yokosuka Mike]

This is disturbing to say the least. What's next, dog fights?

Come on man, look beyond the culture, this is not right.

Mike

 

[colker]

Excellent work. I would go see it on a gallery. Maybe the best work i have seen lately.

 

[retinax]

I don't think it doesn't trying to be anything, but is neutral. What other approach would there be, besides Western moral police waving a finger?

I think objectivity in an emphatic sense is unattainable, unless one simply isn't interest, but in that case Bob wouldn't have taken these pictures. We all have preconceived normative ideas which will reflect in our works and it's best to be open about them, then the viewer/reader can make better sense of everything.
If it were me, I'd set something to the tune of:
This is a valued tradition for Cubans, they generally don't share the hubris of first world city dwellers who don't mind the terrible conditions in which their food is produced as long as their don't have to watch the animals suffer. I'd rather this didn't happen, but I can't stop it. I however want to document it because it's an important part of life here and it's visually juicy.

 

[Out to Lunch]

A story without an ending in that you don't show the losing cock in a bloody heap. Unfortunately, quite popular in some parts of SE Asia as well: men arming animals with knives and gambling on outcomes. Pretty disgusting.

 

[colker]

This is the BEST set of pictures i have seen in this website. The criticizing based on politically correct thinking is plain stupid.. sorry for saying it bluntly.

You shoot what you see.. if you can. This guy can shoots real pictures, good photography. Not everybody can.

 

[Larry Cloetta]

I'll agree it gives a great sense if being there. Well rounded story.
Perhaps use the wounded cock as the last picture, or something else if you don't like that as a statement, the one with the hat seems too trivial to me.

As another perspective, I thought the last photo with the hat was very helpful to telling the story, perhaps because I know barely enough Spanish to read it without looking at the caption. Why? Because it shows, (1) that cockfighting is important enough to the culture that there are actually commercially available (funny) hats, and (2) that they enjoy their lives to the extent possible in what’s left of Cuba for them to enjoy. (https://newviralstory.com/how-havana-is-collapsing-building-by-building/ Socialist paradise.)

Would be nice if this thread stayed focused on documentary photography and not devolve into virtue signaling any more than it already has. People “celebrate diversity” as long as those “diverse” people fall into line and don’t deviate from the script someone else has written for them, at which time it’s both “we love you, and respect your colorful culture” combined unaccountably with a strident “you’re reprehensible!” We know you are reprehensible because our culture is better than yours, even though we proclaim all cultures are equally worthy of respect. (And don’t ask how we square that circle.)

You can’t watch too many episodes of “Animal Kingdom” without understanding that the natural world is a messy place with much cruelty, but no less beautiful for all that. Left to their own devices, animals, including roosters, kill each other all the time and don’t think twice about it. Humanity’s relation to all this is a fraught subject and it’s not as simple as some want to make it.

There are many things I would not personally do, for personal reasons, being a matador and raising roosters for cockfights are two of them, but Bob, I wish I had had the opportunity to be there with you, and get out of my shell a little bit, and perhaps understand something foreign to me a bit better. I’m envious. Your photos, though, took me there to a certain extent.

I’m sure someone will take the opportunity to tell me to go pound sand, but that’s okay.

 

[Bob Michaels]

Thanks for comments. I remain interested in others' thoughts about the merits of presenting stories comprised of multiple images as a means of communicating information. Also specific critique about how I could have accomplished that objective better.

Diversion into an ethical discussion is something I anticipated some viewers would attempt. I made the conscious decision before I ever started to simply ignore them and let them go their own way while I remain focused on the cultural event I wanted the story to be about.

 

[bmattock]

Thanks for comments. I remain interested in others' thoughts about the merits of presenting stories comprised of multiple images as a means of communicating information. Also specific critique about how I could have accomplished that objective better.

Diversion into an ethical discussion is something I anticipated some viewers would attempt. I made the conscious decision before I ever started to simply ignore them and let them go their own way while I remain focused on the cultural event I wanted the story to be about.

This is what journalism is about, and I saw the photos as a journalistic endeavor. Reminded me of what I used to see in the pages of National Geographic.

I hold my own opinions on cockfighting, but I chose to see the photos as reportage, rather than impose my own values on them.

 

[Guth]

Okay, I'll come at this another way, putting aside any moral issues I might have with cockfighting. What exactly is the story that you're trying to tell here Bob? A quick web search for cockfighting in Cuba turns up similar types of reportage featuring some truly breathtaking photos by talented photographers. The photos in those stories generally painted a much more vivid picture of cockfighting in Cuba. There is clearly some room for growth here.

A case in point

I would agree with a statement above criticizing the exclusion of the heads of the subjects in the frame. Maybe crop in tighter on the money changing hands with the beer bellied man. But I'm more bothered by the photograph featuring the woman's breasts with a caption that starts with "Anything you want...". Please don't take that as some sort of politically correct comment. Obviously the participants are almost exclusively male, why not put a face to the females involved? How many females are involved as a percentage? What's in it for the owners of the winning birds, do they get a cut of the money taken in? Is the owner of the losing bird out anything other than an injured or dead bird? Also, I don't care what angle you're coming at this from, surely you can find a better choice of words rather than noting that these birds are well cared for as professional athletes. It's hard to take much other commentary seriously from that point on.

On a side note, every article that I read mentioned the prevention of brawling amongst spectators being one of the biggest concerns (irony at its finest).

There you go.

 

[Out to Lunch]

Left to their own devices, animals, including roosters, kill each other all the time and don’t think twice about it. Humanity’s relation to all this is a fraught subject and it’s not as simple as some want to make it.

You obviously don't have a clue what cock fighting is about. In nature, men don't attach spurs, or knives to their feet and place roosters in a confined space so that the slaughter effect is enhanced for the benefit of gamblers and other spectators.