Traci and Elger are photographers. Virginia Woolf introduced them at a lighthouse in the northern Netherlands in early spring of 2005 and they quickly recognized kindred senses of humor and adventure in one another. They are both fire signs, enjoy long walks on the beach, but neither of them are very fond of piña coladas. Presently they represent two sides of the Atlantic: Traci with journalism and photo stories, Elger with cultural coverage, everyday portraiture and pictorials. Occasionally their lenses overlap, but for the time being, our heroes "endure not yet/A breach, but an expansion,/Like gold to ayery thinnesse beate."
Traci often says, "Life is never boring when you're a photographer," as the most unassuming scene can offer infinite photographic opportunities and chaos can be simplified to quietude. She has been interested in creative forms of expression throughout her life, but when she entered college the number of undeniably photogenic events in her life increased and she sought to capture them in unique ways. During her semester abroad in the spring of 2005, she made her vantage point on the streets of many European cities her souvenirs, taking pictures instead of buying postcards. In the fall of that year she was accepted to the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at UNC-Chapel Hill, where her photographic style continues to evolve with an increasing focus on moment, insight and self-explanation. Traci's eye for the unusual transforms the way the world is perceived. Her colorful and dynamic photos draw accute attention to themselves by focusing on specific and surprising details, while not losing sight of the larger context. Traci currently works as a photographer for The Daily Tar Heel, Chapel Hill's most popular newspaper, and as an assistant at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro, North Carolina.
Elger also has a creative background. Starting as a photographer in high school, he later developed his talent for writing. In recent years he has worked in theatre, from writing and directing to building sets and operating the spotlight. Growing up in a small village in Friesland, Elger naturally developed "new eyes" when perceiving his surroundings. He also began a more earnest era of photography during his semester spent abroad in Caerleon, Wales, where his style evolved with regard to the new landscape. He frequently photographs the rehearsals, productions and clinics of Groningen's oldest student theatre troupe, GUTS, and last winter he worked for a French online magazine covering the Eurosonic music festival, Europe's largest live music event for upcoming talent. Elger's photographs have a classic quality in their composition and mood, be they artistic revelations of the Dutch countryside or dramatic moments in character. Elger is a research master student of Literary and Cultural Studies at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands, and will work as an English language instructor for the university language centre. 