A man who moments ago was on the animal's back is scrambling to get out of its way.

Welcome to professional bull riding.

Award-winning Advertiser photographer Darren Howe captured the striking images in the above video during the recent Meatstock festival at the Bendigo showgrounds.

"I was looking for the moment of impact, like when someone fell off - or the bull was trying to anticipate what might happen next," he said.

"That can be hard because they are jerking all over the place."

Darren's pictures capture the quiet moments before the bull rides, surge of power as the animal leaps and the aftermath.

The trick was to avoid staying in one spot.

"You're trying to move around and get angles that might be different to the ones you might have in the stands," he said.

"There's no one good spot. It's all reaction."

The cowboys riding in the shots walked away from their encounters.

To see more pictures from the Bendigo Meatstock event click here.