Dust, Bulls and Adrenaline – Photographing Tyuxi Rodeo 2026

July 25–26, 2026 — Hell On Hooves Ranch, Monorierdő, Hungary

Once again this year, I spent an entire weekend at Hell On Hooves Ranch in Monorierdő, photographing Tyuxi Rodeo. I have been coming to this event every year since 2021, and it has become one of those dates that I genuinely look forward to.

There is something special about this place. As soon as you arrive, the atmosphere feels different. It has that unmistakable Wild West character: western hats, cowboy boots, country music and plenty of people who fully embrace the style. And it certainly isn't limited to the men — there are plenty of cowgirls around too.

For a photographer, the whole environment is incredibly visual.

Two days, two very different rodeo shows

The highlight of both days is the live bull rodeo show in the evening.

Saturday's show starts later, when the daylight has already faded considerably, while Sunday's begins earlier. From a photography perspective, that makes the two evenings surprisingly different.

Low light has always been one of the challenges here, but this year the organizers made significant improvements to the arena lighting, and it made a real difference. Photographing fast action after sunset is never easy, so the additional and improved lighting was greatly appreciated.

A big thank you to the organizers for investing in it.

Photos from Saturday:

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The voice of the rodeo is the host and MC himself, Nádor József, a.k.a. Tyuxi. Together with the riders, bulls, music and audience, he turns the evening into much more than simply a sporting event.

It is a proper show.

And once it starts, the adrenaline level goes straight to maximum.

Bulls explode out of the gate, riders try to stay on, hooves kick clouds of dust into the air, people shout from behind the fence and heavy music fills the arena.

When Drowning Pool's “Bodies” comes through the speakers and you hear “Let the bodies hit the floor” while a bull is trying its best to launch a rider into the dirt, the soundtrack suddenly feels remarkably appropriate.

That moment still gives me goosebumps.

Photos from Sunday:

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There is much more than bull riding

Although the bull rodeo is the main attraction for me photographically, Tyuxi Rodeo is far from being just an evening event.

There are programs throughout both days, including Border Collie demonstrations, ranch sorting, horse and carriage demonstrations, western riding events, line dancing, the Speed Rodeo Cup, cattle penning, games and competitions, along with food, music and other activities.

In other words, if you arrive with a camera in the morning, you are unlikely to run out of subjects before the evening.

The event also gives plenty of opportunities to photograph things beyond pure action: portraits, details, horses, hats, boots, dust, people waiting behind the scenes and all the little elements that create the western atmosphere.

The glamorous life of a rodeo photographer

My usual position for photographing the bull rodeo is probably not the most comfortable one.

I sit right at the bottom of the barrier, practically in the dirt, underneath the feet of the spectators.

It gives me the low shooting angle I want and puts me close to the action, but it is definitely a dirty job. By the end of the evening, dust is everywhere: clothes, equipment, bags — everything.

This year, during one of the shows, one of the American judges suddenly had to jump onto the barrier to get away from a bull.

Unfortunately, he chose exactly the section where I was sitting.

A considerable amount of dirt and dust came straight down onto me.

The next time he walked past, he looked at me and simply said:

“Sorry about that.”

My answer was:

“It's OK. It's your job.”

And that was genuinely how I felt about it.

When you deliberately choose to sit on the ground next to an arena where 700–900 kg bulls are charging around, getting covered in dirt is probably somewhere in the job description.

Trying the Viltrox 85mm F1.4 Pro

This year I also brought my Viltrox 85mm F1.4 Pro portrait lens.

It turned out to be surprisingly useful for the rodeo, especially as the light started to disappear. The f/1.4 aperture gives a considerable advantage in darker conditions and also produces beautiful background separation.

There is, however, an important compromise.

At f/1.4 and at these distances, the depth of field can become extremely shallow. A rider and a bull do not necessarily occupy the same focal plane, particularly during the most dynamic moments. That means it is very easy to end up with either the rider or the bull perfectly sharp — but not both.

On the other hand, when everything comes together, the shallow depth of field creates a wonderfully clean background and isolates the subject from the visually busy arena.

For this kind of event, though, I think the ideal tool would ultimately be a fast zoom somewhere around the 50–150mm range with an f/2 aperture.

That would preserve much of the low-light capability while giving far more flexibility when a bull suddenly changes direction or the action moves closer to the barrier. At a rodeo, things happen far too quickly to ask anyone to move back because an 85mm prime has suddenly become a little too long.