Paloma al Aire.

Photographs by Ricardo Cases.

PHOTOVISION, 2011. 74 pp., 46 color illustrations, 8¼x6¼".

Pigeons, they are everywhere, often annoying, obtrusive and spread dirt. This is the widespread opinion about this bird species.

But this small book by Ricardo Cases shows another side, a colorful tradition in connection with these animals. In the Spanish regions Valencia and Murcia pigeon fanciers organize races with their birds. For that, a female pigeon is released first. Then about a dozen of male pigeons follow her, trying to catch up with her and to capture her attention. For this competition the animals are painted in different colors and patterns. Thus the feather tricots refer to the respective owner. Finally the winner is duly celebrated – the pigeon in form of time with the female, the owner in form of a trophy.

Cases’ images capture the men’s fascination and passion, with which they practice this hobby. The spots of colors in the sky, in the trees and on the balconies do not remind of pigeons, but rather of exotic birds. They seem magical, picturesque, almost surreal.

Read Sarah Bradley's photo-eye Blog post on Paloma al Aire here.

Ordering Information

This item is currently unavailable from photo-eye, Amazon and Amazon Marketplace.

Other recent books by Ricardo Cases

Our customers who bought this also purchased

Masonry OFF