Rose Festival

I went to the Rose Festival friday and yesterday here in Portland, first to the carnival with rides along the riverfront, then last night to the twilight parade. Here are my favorites.

new type 55 portrait

Here is a recent photo: a commission to photograph the children of a friend. This is Hannah and Sam.

finally, some new scans!!

It's been way too long!! I've had a very busy spring with teaching; also designing and printing my new edition of North Portland Polaroids, and also a lot of time in the darkroom printing orders for contact prints from that series. But as time opens up this spring & summer, I plan to get back out and start shooting up a storm again! It's so much nicer to be out seeing the world, shooting and sharing my images!

Here are a few from this spring. In April I went to Nashville to be a guest lecturer at Vanderbilt University. First is a shot from my colleague and friend Vesna's office at the university.


Next few are from the streets of Nashville:










and this last one from back here in Portland.

North Portland Polaroids contact prints & books selling fast!!

I've already received 3 orders for the entire portfolio of 70 contact prints. I'm only going to print 8 full sets of 70 (numbered on the back each print: "set 1/8," etc.), so you'd better hurry if you want to get the entire set! (Please note: prices increase with later editions) here is the pricing:

Editions      Price for set of 70
1-3:                      $500
4 & 5:                   $750
6 & 7:                 $1000
8:                       $1300

I will no longer be selling individual contact prints (except for those people who've already placed an order). So the only way to get these is as a set! (Of course there are really nice 11"x14" or 16" x 20" enlargements available, please contact me if you interested in purchasing an enlargement.)


I've also already sold five of the ten limited editions of the book that come with a 8"x10" fiber silver gelatin darkroom print, so it's looks like those will be sold out soon. The regular edition books are selling fast too, so please let me know ASAP if you are interested in getting a copy of the book! Prices for the book:

Regular edition (only 90 copies to be sold):       $30

Limited edition, with 8x10 print;

(only 10 of these to be sold):                           $125

here is the 8x10 print:

New edition of North Portland Polaroids book

I just wanted to let you all know that I am coming out with a new edition of my North Portland Polaroids book! It's a larger book than the original edition (this one is 6" x 8 1/2"), with much larger printed images, and also a larger number of images (the last had 46, this new one has a total of 70 images). It also includes the original foreword by Portland Art Museum photography curator Julia Dolan. I'm only printing 100 of these (10 will be a special edition, that come with an 8x10 darkroom print), so please let me know if you are interested in purchasing a copy and we can work out the details. Further information, and images are below.

Also, I will be hanging all 70 of the portraits from the book (all 4"x 5" contact prints on fiber paper), along with a copy of the book at Blue Sky gallery's non-juried "No Strings Attached" wall this Tuesday, April 16. So the work will be up there along with the book from April 16-April 21. If you are in Portland, please go down and take a look! The contact prints will be for sale for $10 each, or the entire set of 70 prints for $500!!

North Portland Polaroids
by Bobby Abrahamson
with a foreword by Julia Dolan, The Minor White Curator of Photography, Portland Art Museum
Softbound 6" x 8.5" , 80 pages, with 70 duotone illustrations
only 100 copies printed
$30 each
10 special edition copies come with an 8" x 10" silver gelatin fiber darkroom print (see image below)
$125 with 8x10 print

Description:
Photographer Bobby Abrahamson spent the better part of two years shooting hundreds of Polaroid Type 55 portraits of strangers he encountered on the streets of St. Johns, a distinct, historically working-class neighborhood in North Portland (Oregon). He has compiled 70 striking and diverse images in this revised and expanded limited edition book. There are only 100 copies printed, 10 of which will be sold with as a special edition with an 8"x10" silver gelatin photograph printed by the photographer in his darkroom. An earlier version (smaller format, only 46 photos) was published in 2012 and sold out in two months. Julia Dolan,The Minor White Curator of Photography at the Portland Art Museum, writes in the book's foreword: "Abrahamson meets these people exactly where they are, precisely where they want to or should be. Himself a resident of St. Johns, Abrahamson is not only their photographer, but their neighbor, and his subjects respect this—notice how close he manages to get to so many of them. Their command of space and direct gazes attest to an undistracted presence, a strong link to their environment, and a wary trust in the artist." "...this place isn't just anywhere. It is St. Johns, and these are it's people, quietly yet eloquently described by Bobby Abrahamson and his photographs."

Here is a photo of the cover and several pages of the book:


















and here is a jpg of the 8x10 print for the special edition:

Guadalupe & me

Here is a Type 55 portrait from St Johns I shot in early February, but never got around to scanning and posting. Her name is Guadalupe.


This other shot is of me, shot by Jake Shivery in St Johns about a year ago, carrying my tripod, 4x5 camera, and bucket for clearing my Type 55 negatives.

a few new random color shots

I just developed 6 rolls of color film from the last week or so. I'm not sure if I really like any of these.

collector's specials for March

As I look longingly ahead toward the warmer, sunnier summer weather, here are three prints from my first book One Summer Across America, each at 50% list price. Only one of each is available at this price, so grab them while you can! All are Fuji Crystal Archive C-prints, printed by me in the color darkroom, signed and editioned on the back, and each is available with a copy of the book in which they appear (or, if you prefer, you can purchase the print alone). Email me back with any questions.
thanks!

Public Swimming Pool - Clarksdale, Mississippi, 2001; from One Summer Across America; 11" x 14" edition 2/25 (Fuji Crystal Archive C-Print)
$175 SOLD with one copy of One Summer Across America book, (1st edition, 2005)
($150 for print alone)


Welders relaxing in motel swimming pool - Memphis, Tennessee, 2001; from One Summer Across America; 11" x 14" edition 3/25 (Fuji Crystal Archive C-Print)
$175 with one copy of One Summer Across America book, (1st edition, 2005)
($150 for print alone)


Las Vegas, Nevada, 2001; from One Summer Across America; 11" x 14" edition 3/25 (Fuji Crystal Archive C-Print)
$175 with one copy of One Summer Across America book, (1st edition, 2005)
($150 for print alone)


Each print purchased at $175 comes with a copy of One Summer Across America book, (1st edition, 2005, with afterwords by Thomas Southall and Robert Frank)

New color from St Johns

I've been fighting a cold lately, so I finally had the opportunity to scan some color 35mm from the last month. All of these are shot here in St Johns, Portland, Ore.