Arena Coliseo — Intricate Explorer

First live wrestling match ever and it was at a Lucha Libre event in the middle of Guadalajara, Mexico. What a way to be introduced.

I honestly had no idea what Lucha Libre was other than the fact that I’d seen the Nacho Libre trailer a couple times in grade school. To make it official, we decided to go to Arena Coliseo, which was the largest event in Guadalajara. Tickets only cost $20 USD for third row tickets, so of course we sat right up front.

At first I was conflicted about bringing my camera because I’d read the event can get fairly rowdy, but eventually I just said fuck it and brought it anyway. I’d guard it with my goddamn life.

Since it was supposed to be such a crazy event, we decided to do it up right. Torta ahogadas (Guadalahara’s specialty cuisine) and Coronas were a good start. We even bought a luchadore mask from a street vendor for good measure. Upon entering the arena, I snagged another traditionally Mexican drink- a Clamato with Corona, decorated by gummy bears. It was my first shot, and delicious as hell:

**“Gummi Dreams”**
*Taken on* *Sony a7rIII* + *Zeiss 24-70mm f/4*
[ISO 2000 ~ 70mm ~ f/4 ~ 1/800s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)

We found our seats without problem and awaited our fate. It started off pretty slow, I’m not going to lie. I had high expectations, and I didn’t realize the first guys were the “openers.” But as it turns out, they were just warming up. Within 10 minutes they were flying headfirst off the stage into each other like a bunch of rabid cartoons.

Photography wise, we were in a killer spot. We were in the 3rd row on the corner, so I had room to maneuver my camera a bit and get right up in their faces with my 24-70mm zoom. However, it did take me a little while to figure out what kind of shots worked.

The event continued, and match after match progressed with newer, bigger, and more fierce opponents. There were moments where I genuinely concerned for these dude’s wellbeing- they were getting absolutely annihiliated on stage. Punched, kicked, thrown around like animals… It was brutal.

And they weren’t afraid to come into the crowd. The row of people adjacent to us had to PHYSICALLY MOVE several times, because the luchadores would crash land into the chairs- hard. I distinctly remember this one lady’s face who was in her mid 40s-50s. She was TERRIFIED. Scared for her life as these 200lb dudes were landing inches from her feeble legs. Shit probably wouldn’t be legal in the US.

Here’s an example of a shot I got of a massive luchadore right next to me. Seconds before this, he threw another dude headfirst into an empty seat. Look at the veins on his fucking neck:

Arena Coliseo — **“Pure Lucha”**
*Taken on* *Sony a7rIII* + *Zeiss 24-70mm f/4*
[ISO 3200 ~ 24mm ~ f4/ ~ 1/400s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)

Even though the motion blur wasn’t intentional, I think it came out dope. Really makes the shot feel more 3D, like he is straight up about to M.U.R.D.E.R you.

At this point, I was starting to get calibrated with my photography. There were three types of shots I realized were the best. The first type was when the luchadores were standing on the ropes and being introduced. They would climb above the square and isolate themselves in darkness with the light hitting them perfectly. Here’s a few examples of what I got:

I especially love that first photo of the huge dude with the lights in the backdrop. Funny thing, I actually composited him over another luchador I didn’t think looked as badass. I had an up-close shot of the badass dude but no lights, and faraway shot of the lights with another guy I didn’t like. So I did a good ole’ bait and switch.

Another surprising part of the event was how loud the crowd was. They were yelling all kinds of insults at the luchadores, which I later found out was because some of them represented the “evil” parts of Mexico, like the corrupt government and the cartels. The whole event is basically a cultural cartoon metaphor for the everyday working man fighting against the hardships of Mexico’s modern society. Is that sentence academic enough for ya?
The second type of shot I was vibing with was ground work shots. Almost half the battle was on the floor, so I focused in through the ropes and landed a few shots of key moments:

**“Cartoon Win”**
*Taken on* *Sony a7rIII* + *Zeiss 24-70mm f/4*
[ISO 2000 ~ 70mm ~ f/4 ~ 1/1000s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)

If you zoom on some of these dude’s faces, you can see they’re in REAL pain. They’re not faking that shit.

And of course, I saved the best shots for last. These were the moments where the luchadores were straight up flying through the air. However, they came with a price. They were hard to get. You’d also have to make sure the “actual” cameramen of the event weren’t in the way, or other people that happened to be walking by like drunk fans or vendors. I also aimed to make sure faces weren’t too blocked by ropes so you could get a genuine reaction.

Here’s my top 3 air jordans:

**“Cowboy Airborne”**
*Taken on* *Sony a7rIII* + *Zeiss 24-70mm f/4*
[ISO 3200 ~ 70mm ~ f/4 ~ 1/1000s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)

**“Nice Shot”**
*Taken on* *Sony a7rIII* + *Zeiss 24-70mm f/4*
[3200 ~ 45mm ~ f/4 ~ 1/1250s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)

**“Lucha Libre Madness”**
*Taken on* *Sony a7rIII* + *Zeiss 24-70mm f/4*
[ISO 3200 ~ 24mm ~ f/4 ~ 1/1000s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)

That last shot was my magnum opus of this event. I finally realized I needed the ENTIRE stage in the shot, yet it was entirely minimal, and perfect timing.

Overall, this was a fucking sick event. And I’m impressed I managed to get such quality photos locked to one seat, while buzzed. I’d bet my bottom dollar they’re better than the majority of the hired staff. I couldn’t help but wonder what type of shots I could get if they let me get all close to the ring like the staff photographers.

Couple tips for maximum effect:

Fast shutter speed, 1/1000s + to reduce action blur
High shutter mode, to get a lot of shots at once. This is especially important for air shots.
ISO 3000 was working fine for me on the Sony a7rIII
I only had my f/4 lens, so I couldn’t go lower. It would have been SUPER nice to have 1.8 or 2.8 though, however I’d have to sacrifice wideness/zoom based on my personal setup. Not the kind of event I wanted to be keeping track of an arsenal lenses.
Predict where they’re going to go next. If I saw a dude look towards the rope and start running, I knew there was a chance he would get on it to jump off. So I’d get my camera ready.
Lots and lots of editing. I blacked out ads, the crowd, and even a ref or two in some of the shots. I much prefer the surreal wrestling match look, rather than the exact carbon copy of the busy background. Let’s the viewer focus much more on the action.

One of my best experiences in Mexico so far. I went home to our hotel and slept like a baby.

I’m on a mission to explore as much as humanely possible.

Want to see my progress? Check out the Adventure Map.

*Please note this page contains affiliate links.

429 - Arena Coliseo

430 - Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe

428 - Mercado Libertad