El Toro

The Miura Cattle Ranch was established in the province of Seville in 1847 and is part of Spanish national heritage. Tradition has it that bulls of the Miura breed are the most dangerous and the lineage is revered for being large, fierce and cunning.

The ranch was originally owned by Don Eduardo Miura Fernandez and his descendants still have ownership of this fabled place. It was a visit to the Muira ranch that inspired Ferruccio Lamborghini to make a bull the symbol of his industrial empire and in his novel Death in the Afternoon, Ernest Hemingway wrote glowingly about the strain of bulls raised by Don Eduardo Miura’s sons.

I arrived in Seville to meet the Miura family knowing little about Andalusian culture other than watching Anthony Bourdain make the same trip in his series Parts Unknown. I have never been to a bull fight and have no such intention; I think I would find it too barbaric, but equally I respect local cultures and the bull is integral to the soul of this most unique and wonderful city.

We were introduced to one of the most revered of the matadors in Spain - Eduardo Davila Miura - who, of course, is another descendant of Don Eduardo Miura. Wandering around the inner streets of Seville with Eduardo and sampling Bourdain’s favoured tapas bars, was akin to walking down the King’s Road with David Beckham. I was left in no doubt that he is a national treasure.

But it was the Miura Ranch that I wanted to photograph and, of course, these enormous, esteemed bulls. I want to thank the Miura family for their collaboration and Alexander Fiske-Harrison (@fiskeharrison) for making the necessary introductions and facilitating the partnership, including with the bull itself. This project was new territory for everyone involved.

The ranch workers were fastidious on my safety and that of the bull we photographed that day. I am so pleased that they are delighted with the result. It was not a normal morning and this was certainly not a normal bull. It was all quite terrifying but I would stress that I was working with the best ranchers in the business. This is not something to go and try in a nearby field.

It is said that to understand Andalusia, a visitor must know a little about the Spanish Civil War and a little about its history with bulls. I certainly know more now about both than I did a week ago.