Couple dancing - a photo on Flickriver

Couple dancing

I accompanied my wife to a Fred Astaire studio, where we checked out their dance classes. I drew a laugh from some people who worked there when I confessed that I dance "like a drunken pretzel," but perhaps that will change at least a little. Sheila is going to be spending most of the next few weeks in Utah, but when she comes home, we will probably sign up for the classes. It's primarily for her benefit, but this is an activity I would probably enjoy, too, if only I knew how to do it.

I had my camera with me, and took about two dozen pictures of the activity on the dance floor. Sheila teased me about the amount of attention I was focusing on this pretty blonde, but she happened to be the best dancer out there by far. I learned that her partner is a chef, and the two of them are planning to take part in some kind of ballroom dance competition, where I hope they do well.

I don't pretend this is a great picture, but I liked it well enough to post it here. I have no experience to speak of doing action photography, but I think I will be taking my camera to that studio a few more times, and I hope to get better results then. Sometime I'd like to have a different background, too, and capture a couple like this one in formal attire. (I fantasized while I was there about having something like a 400mm f/2.8 zoom lens and a larger arena in which to use it, but I did the best I could with the equipment I had this evening.)

I think I have a romantic streak in me, but please don't tell anyone, because that isn't a "guy thing." But one movie Sheila and I both love is "Shall We Dance?" which stars Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, and Jennifer Lopez. We saw it on TV a few days ago, and I think I have seen it about five times altogether, not always with my wife. My favorite scene is the one toward the end, where Richard Gere, in formal ballroom attire, comes up the department-store escalator with rose in hand to present to his wife, the Susan Sarandon character. Once I rented the movie and played that scene over and over again, which prompted a bit of teasing from our daughter. (As I said, I have seen the whole movie perhaps 5 times, but have watched that scene at least 20 times.)

I borrowed an idea from the movie, which I think I'll implement while Sheila is away. She will be gone for about 4 weeks, during which I think I will sign up for some individual lessons at that studio. This will give me a head-start when she comes back. (She passionately loved dancing when she was younger, but I have hardly ever done it at all.) I'm hoping that when we get around to taking the classes together, I will at least look like a pretzel recovering from a hangover, rather than one that is flat-out drunk.

(For an update to this story, as well as a companion photo, click here.)

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Taken on: January 23, 2007

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D50

AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

couple

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Sets appears in: • Gotta dance! • Pictures with stories more » • Miss Gergana • People « less

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Camera: Nikon D50, f/2.5, 1/60 sec, 50mm (=75mm) (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D50
Aperture:	f/2.5
Exposure Time:	0.017 sec (1/60)
Focal Length:	50mm (35mm equivalent: 75mm)
Exposure Bias:	-1 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Shutter speed priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Contrast:	Low
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 Windows
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