This is one of my favorite moments in León. It's late afternoon on a Saturday and the cockfight, or gallera, is packed with men wagering on the outcome of a pitched battle between two fierce roosters. The birds are highly skilled and know how to swipe the razors tied to their feet to inflict damage, drawing blood and gore from their opponent. More interesting to me was this scene where two boys walk around the perimeter. One is anxious to see the action. The other, who has but one eye, looks warily in my direction. 

As a photographer I was not only caught in the moment but also drawn in by the honesty of primary colors. 

What happens to me in the creative process is that I often overlook a different approach because I am so enamored by a certain element in the photograph. In this instance, I was taken by the one-eyed lad. To me he was the focal point of the shot: looking at me as his friend tried to get a peek at the goings on.

I was going to enter this “favorite” of mine (and we all have our favorites) into an international photography contest until another photographer advised me to go in a different direction. He felt that the most interesting character was the boy in yellow and advised me to crop the other boy out of the photograph.

So I did. I reedited it a bit and was left with this version below which is much improved. Actually it is a whole new photograph. This is why I solicit the opinions of photographers whom I trust. Sometimes I get to emotionally wound up in my images and I need a slap in the face. What do you think?

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Special thanks to Robert Miller for his insight on this photograph. https://www.robertmillerphotography.com