© Paul Elledge 2012

In 1962 Grey Advertising created the campaign for Honda with the tag line.  “You meet the nicest people on a Honda”.  Team Elledge likes to change that tag line to include a broader demographic, and once again has confirmed its truth last weekend.

Paul went racing with his ChiVinMoto friends May 5-6 in the ARHMA road race series.  While trying to start his new race bike, he meet Larry Poons.   Larry is a 75 year old racer who drove solo from NYC with two race bikes.  That drive alone is really an impressive goal, and then to unload to race on the track– WOW!

Paul had some issues with the new bike, and Larry was on the spot lending wisdom, spark plugs, and equipment.  Larry was admired for his willingness to help, his skills,  as well as his amazing face.  Of course Paul had to make his portrait at that point.

As it turns out,  this former 500 Premier Road Race Champion is not only fantastic as a person and a rider,  he is also a very famous painter.  Larry mentioned none of his pedigree while he and the ChiVinMoto group got to know each other.  However, upon returning to Chicago Paul googled his name and found that they were pitted side by side with an amazing artist.

You meet the nicest people on a motorcycle, and racers are even nicer.

© Charles Swedlund

If you are not going down to Talladega GP raceway in Alabama to watch Paul compete in his first ARHMA race of the 2012 season,  Team Elledge would suggest you check out one of their favorite photo professor’s work.  Chuck Swedlund’s The Whole Show will open at Alibi Fine Art on Saturday evening from 6pm-8pm.  Check out the work and give Chuck a hello from Paul and Leasha.

This was one of those golden moments where we were lucky to work with a couple of real movie & theater icons.  Add in the brilliant Robert Falls and it made for a wonderful project.

Thanks to the folks at Time Out Chicago for the assignment, and Team Elledge for making it happen.

by Julien Vallou de Villeneve

Great Art shows inspire, challenge, and educate.  These are  just a few of the reasons why they excite us!  Team Elledge is really looking forward to seeing the new show ”Naked Before the Camera”at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Check it out and let us know what you think.

© Paul Elledge 1992

Team Elledge is really excited by the 2012 Chicago Bulls!  Nevertheless, some of us remember fondly the glory days of the 90′s 6 time World Champion Bulls.  Thus, this month’s “From the Vault” celebrates those old days with one of Paul’s images of Phil Jackson.  Yes, Chicago had Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman, but without Coach Jackson’s wisdom the team would not have reached to the top.

This image was created in 1994 to illustrate a project of real listeners for an NPR promotion.  Prior to photoshop Paul used multiple exposure to add both visual and narrative elements to his work.  In this case, using a Hasselblad 500cm he shot the coach’s portrait first.  Then, without advancing the film, the back was removed and moved to the next set with the basketball for the additonal exposure and advancement to the next frame.  In this way Paul could shoot several exposures on many backs, then Leasha would expose the other set.  She would return to Paul’s set before he ran out of backs to keep both Paul and the coach in the flow.  Everything would be completely finished in camera, and all that was left to do was to edit and print.

© Paul Elledge

Come and check it out…  Paul and Leasha will have work in another group show called “Self-Absorbed” from March 17-May 12, 2012.  The opening is 7 pm to 11 pm Saturday March 17 at the  Chicago/Ashland Office Building Gallery,  755 North Ashland, Chicago.  Be there or be square!

© Paul Elledge

Every summer for over ten years Paul and Leasha have taught at the Toscana Photographic Workshops.   If you want to have a good time learning photography in the Tuscan hills, explore great food & drink and hang out with Paul and Leasha.  We are teaching  July 22-28th.  Sign up for one of the best workshops you will ever take.

This video documents the making of the image of “Ilaria” featured above and was created at the workshops in 2011.  Check out Paul in action, and hopefully experience this in person  summer 2012.

This is the final year of the famous restaurant by Charlie Trotter, and we hope to be doing many more shoots (and eating more meals) as this fine establishment goes into the home stretch.  To celebrate a fantastic collaboration Team Elledge thought it would be fun to show some of the action behind a photo shoot with Chef Trotter.  Enjoy…

©Paul Elledge

We are excited for this Friday night, as it will be the opening of a group show named “KIN”.   KIN is an exhibition of photographic works depicting groups of kindred souls, whose basis of kinship seeks to broaden the very definition of the word.  Focusing largely on youth culture, KIN explores some of the ties that bind us: family, neighborhood, sport and music.

©Leasha Overturf

Leasha and Paul both will be represented in the exhibit.  Leasha will have two bodies of work, “Childhoods Lost and Found” and NEW work titled  “Fight Night” (which has the studio jealous, it is so Great).  Paul will show highlights from his series “Another Saturday Night”.   Come on out see the work and say hello to Team Elledge.

© Paul Elledge 1998

This month’s image “From the vault” mixes things up by showing another aspect of Paul’s work outside of his well known portraits.  For several years Paul and Leasha traveled the world for “Travel and Leisure Golf”.  They had the pleasure of visiting exotic countries that were home to some of the finest golf courses, hotels, and restaurants.

This month we feature an image from T &L Golf taken to illustrate the beautiful city of Sydney Australia.  It was a rainy day and Paul needed to make the best of inclement weather.  Paul with camera, and Leasha with umbrella had to visit many sites that day.  The highlight image was taken in the center of Sydney in Hyde Park.  A stunning location,  combined with a long exposure to get gather enough light and add the magic motion of the patrons of the park creating a striking black and white landscape.  Enjoy!