The Tango

   I don’t photograph people.  I’m not a portrait photographer and have little interest in posing people for a photo.  But sometimes an image is just screaming to be made.  After wandering around the “La Boca” neighborhood of Buenos Aires for a few hours, I was hungry and in need  of a place to sit down, have lunch and relax for a while.  Many restaurants in La Boca have tango dancers out front where you can sit under a canopy, have lunch and watch the show.  However, I wasn’t in the mood for the touristy feel of the main drag so I walked a few blocks out of the square and found a quiet cafe just as rain started to fall.  Taking a seat next to the window, I watched people scramble to get in out of the rain.
   While I was eating lunch, these dancers turned on a quite CD player and started dancing in the aisle from the counter to the front door.  It didn’t take long to notice how beautifully soft the light was as they approached the open door and how quickly it faded as they moved away from it.  A perfect lighting set up.  I grabbed my camera, attached the 24-105 IS lens and started following them back and forth.  Shooting wide open at f4 still meant a slow shutter speed, but with the image stabilizing lens I   knew I could shoot hand held;  I just had to practice panning with them and figure out how to time the shot just right. 
   I knew I wanted to motion-blur the background, but I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with the dancers.  After reviewing some practice shots I realized I had to blur the dancers a little to bring life into the image, but also include some sharp elements to give your eye something the rest upon.  This only occurred when they approached the door and turned around.  I followed and shot, followed and shot and 15-20 images later I finally got what I wanted.  They are just starting their turn.  The light is dramatic yet soft, his face and eyes are sharp and she is blurred with the movement of the turn.  I think this image captures everything tango is about.