Ballroom with a Difference

[Pete Askew]

I know I have posted these before but damned if I could find them. See the photo of the Tango dancers that Nihat posted (http://www.realphotographersforum.com/people-portraits/10551-something-different.html) as as those by Brian reminded me of how much I enjoyed the photography of dance. I must re-scan these prints (to get some larger JPEGS) and find an opportunity to shoot some more.

Gerd and Claus. At the time they were the world bronze medal winners for same-sex dance (and Gerd was / is - when we start again - our dance teacher). You cannot imagine how impressive these two were in motion. Both 2m tall and fabulous dancers. And being same sex, they can swap lead - now that looks impressive!

http://www.walzerlinksgestrickt.de/index.php

Mamiya 7II + 80mm lens. Ilford Delta 400 processed in ID11. Printed (12x16") onto Ilford MGIV RC Gloss (developed in an Ilford 2150RC). Scanned using a Microtek ScanMaker 9800XL.

 

[Glenn Clabo]

Nice work catching the mood and motion Pete.

 

[Pete Askew]

Thanks Glenn. A medium format range-finder wasn't the most obvious choice. We'd just finished a long session producing some publicity shots (Hasselblad / PhaseOne - static figures) for their web site and the dance school. These were my fee!

 

[Beth Anthony]

the sepia tone adds to the classic look of these, great processing. i like the motion in each of the photos, nicely done. bet working on these beat working on your document too.

 

[Brian Moore]

Never seen these before, Pete. I like #1 particularly; its very Berlin 1930s.

 

[Pete Askew]

Thanks Brian. That's what I was aiming for in the print. I used a similar feel for the formal shots too.

 

[Pete Askew]

Hmm, not sure that was a good idea. Downloaded the small JPEGS and increased them in size a bit while dropping the dot pitch. I need to rescan these as I don't have the original scans but I do have the prints.

 

[Nihat Iyriboz]

Pete, I like the the '30s look and the mirror reflection's comping the dancers on consecutive images. The curtains on image 1 give a nicer opening feel as the background.

 

[Pete Askew]

Thanks Nihat. I have some more negatives and a few more prints that show just how fast they are moving (this was part of their competition Foxtrot that won them the bronze medal a few weeks later).

 

[Nihat Iyriboz]

I hope you can re-visit them with you M9, Pete.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

I do like these Pete - the movement and the reflections make them for me - and the PP is most fitting

Does the Mamiya 7II max out at 1/500?

The look of the protagonists does remind me of those chaps from Yello - Boris Blank & Dieter Meier

 

[Pete Askew]

Yes, 1/500s is the maximum shutter speed. Not much of a problem here though as there was bugger-all light! I think these were shot at 1/30s! They certainly are well-groomed. Both are trained lawyers although Gerd only teaches dance these days whereas Claus is a constitutional lawyer 3 days a week. Follow the link to the dance school. The balls they hold are fantastic.