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The Art of the SNL Portrait, photographer Mary Ellen Matthews’s collection of Saturday Night Live portraits, was published on March 4, 2025. The Abrams hardcover gathers more than 200 color portraits and behind-the-scenes photographs across 272 pages, including images of hosts and musical guests made for the show’s commercial-break transitions.
What’s inside the book
Abrams describes The Art of the SNL Portrait as a collection spanning Matthews’s more than two decades photographing Saturday Night Live. Its portraits are the show’s “bumpers”: images that introduce or close a commercial break.
- More than 200 color portraits and behind-the-scenes photographs
- 272 pages
- A foreword by SNL founder and executive producer Lorne Michaels
- A conversation with Matthews
- A thumbnail index of images with captions by the photographer
The bumper format gives the photographs a particular purpose: they are made to punctuate a live television broadcast, not simply to document a guest’s appearance. The book brings those brief on-air moments together with behind-the-scenes material. The Associated Press also describes the collection in terms of the host and musical-guest portraits used around commercial breaks.
Who made the portraits
Mary Ellen Matthews is the longtime Saturday Night Live photographer behind the collection. In a Yahoo Entertainment/Rolling Stone report about her appearance on The Tonight Show, Matthews described the recurring work this way: “I love doing it, and it’s such a challenge each week to do it again and do it better or do it different.” The quotation was reported by Yahoo Entertainment/Rolling Stone on February 26, 2025.
#1 Best Overall
Publication and buying details
The book is a published hardcover, not an upcoming release. Abrams lists March 4, 2025, as its publication date and identifies the edition by ISBN 9781419782534. The publisher lists a $55.00 price and names Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Bookshop, Powell’s, and Indigo as retailers. Those publisher details do not confirm any retailer’s current price, stock, shipping terms, or signed-copy availability; check the retailer’s listing before ordering.
| Edition | ISBN | Pages | Publisher-listed price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 9781419782534 | 272 | $55.00, listed by Abrams |
For a purchase, match the title, author, and ISBN to the listing so you select the intended hardcover. The available information identifies this edition but does not establish whether signed copies or other formats are currently offered.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Laminated Durable Tabs (Book not Included): The tabs are laminated with 3 mil film for durability and stiffness and made specifically for Digital Photography Complete Course
- Color-coded tabs: Highlight the most important sections for Digital Photography Complete Course. The colors match the section for easy reference
- Find Sections Easily and Efficiently: Our color-coded tabs have large font and are printed on both sides so you can easily navigate the guide
- Includes Alignment Card for Aligned Tabs: Our tabs are easy to install in alignment using our tabs alignment system. Each tab includes the location and page number for super easy installation
- Blank Tabs Included: Additionally we include blank tabs so you can highlight anything specific to your needs
Rank #4
Rank #2
- MINIMALIST BOOK DESIGN - Wrapped in black cloth with crisp white text, this black photo album protects favorite prints while looking like a decorative photo album on a shelf or coffee table.
- EASY PHOTO PLACEMENT - Add 4 by 6 inch pictures with photo stickers or corners, sold separately, to create flexible layouts in a custom photo album for vacations, portraits, and everyday memories.
- EXPANDABLE DISPLAY BINDING - Smart binding expands as pages fill, creating a clean 90 degree spine that lets this hardcover photo album stand neatly on a bookshelf as a polished family album.
- SPACIOUS MEMORY FORMAT - Includes 80 pages of 150 grams per square meter off white paper and holds up to 160 horizontal prints, making a large photo album, wedding album, or scrapbook photo album.
- CURATED GIFT ALBUM - Turn loose prints into an organized memory book for travel, anniversaries, graduations, vacations, and milestones, with a stylish picture album made for keepsakes and display.
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