ADAM ELSENBACH
I first met Adam at Vogue Wright Studios, 469 E. Ohio Street, Chicago, in 1971. I saw a job listing for an assistant photographer in the Chicago Tribune. This was a catalog house that produced the Sears Catalogs, Alden Catalogs, Spiegel Catalogs, and specialty catalogs. There was this 6 story building at 469 and a huge building across the street at 440 E. Ohio, with high ceilings. Here room scenes were photographed with 11 x 14 view cameras and 11 x 14 color transparency film (slide film). Back at 469 Adam had a shooting space with closed off area where he photographed professional models with and without products. Adam and I would photograph covers for the Sears catalogs using 8 x 10 Deardorf Cameras. And 4 x 5 Polaroid Film to check lighting and exposure. We were still using transparency film, that was processed in a in house lab. When Adam went out for lunch, I sent a test to the lab, that he could check when he came back from lunch. Adam and I would travel to Florida, Texas, California, other locations close to home.
JOHN ELSENBACH
When Adam and I were out in Beverly Hills Cal. I met his brother who was a cinematographer, working on movies and TV shows. As a Director of Photography, he shot series including “Dukes of Hazard’, “Kojack”, “Knots Landing” and “Murder, She Wrote”. He also shot TV movies “The Alamo: “Thirteen Days to Glory”. He was an honorary lifetime member of the Intl. Cinematographers Guild Local 600, IATSE. (“Variety” December 7, 2004)
PETER ELSENBACH
I would see Pete Elsenbach, when Adam And Pete would go out to lunch. Pete was a motion picture cameraman shooting State Farm Insurance commercials.
FINISH
I learned a lot from Adam Elsenbach, and i’ll never forget him. We shared many experiences from fishing in Leech Lake, Minnesota. with a bunch of guys. To picking him up early in the morning so he could take his car in for repairs. Adam & I flew to LA to photograph models in a swimming pool in Beverly Hills, California. The photo was shot using a 8x10 large format view camera. We needed some fill reflectors to complete the Sears catalog cover. Adam called his brother, who worked at Universal Studios, to lend us a couple of movie reflectors to complete the shot. Adams brother was a cinematographer at Universal studios. I worked as an assistant for Adam for 6 years. Adam told me you will be a very good photographer. That’s because he including me in all phases of photography, and why he did things a certain way. Not the quickest way, but the best way.
Adam Elsenbach 1930-2017 John Elsenbach 1925-2004 Peter Elsenbach 1934-1980