Gosh Ana, thank you. This is from my Forever Tango shoot and was one of the most difficult and delightful assignments I've had to date. The man in the background was reading his music and beautifully lit. The dancers in the foreground are the 'comedy' dancers of the troupe and were practicing. I noticed that they were moving back and forth in front of the musician, so I waited and took several shots attempting to capture him between them as they moved.

I've been processing like mad, as I'm putting a book together of Mr. Bravo's creation. It's hard work, but a really grand project for me.

Thanks again Ana.

well, if this doesn't make it to the FP, the people of weekly shots are truly certifiable. This is amazing.....

@ bbence - That's funny...really, you need to sit down and look again.

bbence, relevance is always the right of each viewer.

Now I can sleep.

Deep breath, Ana.

Thank you everyone. And Ana, have a good night's sleep and thank you.

pursang, I noticed you have another version of this on your website. I have to say, I think I like that one better. First of all, the overall quality is much better and the lower contrast and tones just work better IMO. Just some thoughts...

Pursang, I'm with SeekingFocus on his last comment. Visiting your site, which is excellent btw, I have to agree that I like that version better. I also think seeing the other images and knowing you have a body of work I think this would be even better as a supporting piece within a book of those image.

I had seen this earlier and while I saw looking through the legs of the dancers as relevant I wasn't sure if the person in the background was a composer, pianist, etc. and wasn't sure of his relevance within the image (further enforced by the empty musicians chairs) and so withheld both rating and commenting then since there was also something different about this image that I did like. I really love the idea and timing but wanted to offer you a detailed explanation of my reaction to the image.

Seekingfocus and dcreighton, thank you for taking the time to go to my site to compare the image I submitted for this theme to the one on my blog. I also appreciate when people take the time to reflect on an image rather than quickly rating and commenting. For me it shows a maturity of thought and it is always appreciated, not just in this forum, but in life.

To explain, I often recompose an image for a theme here. Since WS folks seem to gravitate toward the ‘literal’ in terms of relevance, I wanted to eliminate the partial spotlight on my blog image and reduce the exposure of the couple’s upper bodies. For me this allowed me to focus your eye exactly on Eduardo Micelli the bandoneon player. FYI, he is studying his musical score before the beginning of the performance. So in a way I try to ‘market’ to my audience in this case the folks over here at WS. I too prefer the images you see on my blog, but thought that by leaving the partial spotlight and the couple’s lit upper bodies, it would detract from this week’s theme.

For the book, I will use the complete uncropped version that is my favorite choice for the image. I have posted it at: http://photos.kitaoka.us/wsexample.htm so that you can see how it will appear in the book, Moments of Passion – Photography of Luis Bravo’s Forever Tango. I would imagine that some folks here at WS may have been confused by the entire image wondering if they are suppose to ‘look though’ the open curtain to the backstage area or not. Since this image will be part of many images, I wanted the image to tell the story of the preparations of a performance and having the entire stage in the image ‘markets’ to those that will purchase the book. The book will be around 300 pages and tell a complete visual story of the emotion of tango and the people who perform that oh so sensual dance. I will forever be in sheer awe of their abilities, both artistic and physical. The music is equally moving and emotional. I’m honored to have been allowed to do this project. I believe that 90% of the buyers will either be those that have seen Mr. Bravo’s show, or are themselves tango dancers.

Hope this helps explain how I change images for WS and thanks for taking the time to explain and ask.

Mark, I saw this image on your site after you left an inspiring and thoughtful comment on my picture. I prefer this version without the distracting spotlight. I initially felt the empty space on the left of the picture took away from the couple dancing and the figure in the background, but gradually associated the background figure with the microphones and the musical score - a musician, a conductor. These three key elements woven together make a memorable image. Needless to say the words written here happen in a millisecond when 'reading' a picture, but I thought I would try and unpack some of my thoughts on 'seeing' your picture.

Tony, thanks for taking the time to write and give me detailed feedback about what went through your mind as you viewed this image. I value comments like yours about the story you take from an images much more than the technical aspects. For me imagery is more about the feeling it conveys than the images itself. Thanks again.

Stellar. One of my favorite takes on the theme.

It's too late to vote but I would have given this top marks just for having accomplished the image at all. Wonderful!