As the rapidly approaching 46th anniversary looms of the Beatles' first Ed Sullivan television appearance, some long-lost Detroit Beatles trivia has also emerged.
Detroit photographer Douglas Elbinger's never-before-published Olympia Stadium photos of the legendary group were recently featured in an area photo exhibit. Those same photos can also be seen in his new book, "Encounters with Remarkable Men: 40 Years of Photography."
"These were from the Beatles' second Olympia concert in 1966 when I was just 16," Elbinger said. "I learned a lot that day; there I was sharing the same stage and shooting away with the Beatles in that same space."
His vivid memories include the jokes shared between John Lennon and Paul McCartney as they laughingly missing lyrics and chords.
"John broke a string and just kept on playing," Elbinger said. That memory is also repeated in the book.
Another less comfortable moment came when he was standing behind drummer Ringo Starr. "I called out, 'Hey, Ringo!' and he turned around. I tried to take the shot, but the camera didn't get it; I lost it forever."
Elbinger, who was assisting another photographer that day, learned some immeasurably creative lessons while interning with premiere chief photographer of the Detroit Free Press, Tony Spina. It's Spina that receives the book's dedication, and is credited with giving Elbinger his first job.
"It was Tony who taught me that wearing a couple of Nikons around my neck could get me in almost anywhere," he said. "With one camera at a concert or a political rally, you might be a fan - with two cameras, however, it meant you were serious about taking pictures."
In 1960, an interest in capturing history was sparked by studying the detail found in Matthew Brady's Civil War photos.
"That's when I developed a conscious awareness of history," he said. He had already become proficient as an artist, he says, by the tender age of 12, mastering charcoal, pastels and oils. The switch to photography came naturally.
Within two years after the Beatles' concert, he was covering events from Robert Kennedy's presidential campaign to the invasion of Czechoslovakia, beginning a life of globetrotting. Covering and capturing life and unrest in the late 1960s was his specialty.
It was while enrolled at MSU that Elbinger freelanced for several news agencies and publications. Besides the Free Press, he worked with United Press International (UPI), and both Time and Newsweek magazines.
Elbinger earned a National Bi-Centennial Commission grant to serve as a photographic history consultant. Then, he captured four decades of the movers and shakers of politics, entertainment and world history. His efforts enriched the Smithsonian Institution and National Archives, in addition to other American museums and historical societies, providing him a coast-to-coast reputation as a photographic historian.
Elbinger's expertise at portraiture offers glimpses of powerful people at work, at play and in thought as he aimed his cameras at his subjects and clicked away.
"I consider myself a photographer first and a portrait artist second," he said.
Elbinger photographed Detroit icons Lee Iacocca, Ernie Harwell and Jimmy Hoffa as well as politicians Ted Kennedy, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George Romney; authors Kurt Vonnegut, John Irving and captured poet Allen Ginsburg hugging activist William Kunstler; blues, folk and rock music icons of the ages and a plethora of actors; broadcaster Charles Kuralt; and native Michigan filmmakers Jeff Daniels and Michael Moore. Many of his subjects were appearing on the Michigan State University campus, in particular, at Lansing's Wharton Center for Performing Arts.
Elbinger first studio was located in the Lansing area in 1977, but today, he's based in Bloomfield Hills. The debut of his book was hosted along with his exhibit's opening on December 10 at Birmingham's Zoom Artistic Gallery.
Zoom's owner, renowned photographer Kathleen A. Phillips, refers to Elbinger's work as outstanding.
"He captures the energy and essence of iconic celebrities, musicians and cultural leaders of our time," she said. Referring to Elbinger's photos and book launch, Phillips expressed pleasure at hosting the variety of subjects he covered.
"His new book beautifully presents his decades of capturing images of some of the world's most influential people," she added.
Elbinger's book and photography are available through April at the Zoom Artistic Gallery.
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http://www.beatlesbible.com/1964/02/09/the-beatles-first-ed-sullivan-show/
www.zoomartisticphotography.com
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