The West Behind Us

Self-published, 2014. First edition, second printing of 100. 148 pp., 44 duotone illustrations, 6"x8½".

This collaboration between myself and author Lisa Wells documents four small, rural towns in Oregon – Fields, Mitchell, Long Creek and Halfway – investigating the challenges faced by rural communities in an age of increased urbanization and economic depression. Working in the tradition of WPA era artists James Agee and Walker Evans' Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, the book includes 44 black and white photographs by me, along with extensive interviews with residents and first-person narrative by Lisa Wells. As Dave Blanchard of Oregon Public Broadcasting writes about the project: "The two Portland-based artists understood the challenges of accuracy and exploitation inherent in documenting the lives of others. They traveled to the locations separately, not wanting to come across as offering a definitive account of the towns. They instead focused on their personal connections with the towns and the people who live there." The results are two independent, complementary visions of life in rural America on the cusp of the urban millennium. (Click here to view images from the project (originally titled "The 45th Parallel"), and click here to see pages from the book.)

A special edition of 10 come with an 8"x10" silver gelatin photo printed by me in my darkroom.

softbound - $25
special edition w/ 8"x10" print - $125 (only 2 left!)

to purchase email bobby@bobbyabrahamson.com, or purchase from photoeye.com

North Portland Polaroids

Limited edition of 100. Introduction by Julia Dolan, Minor White Curator of Photography, Portland Art Museum. Self-published, 2015. 80 pp., 70 duotone illustrations, 6"x8½".

I spent two years shooting hundreds of Polaroid Type 55 portraits of strangers on the streets of St. Johns, a distinct, historically working-class neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. I have compiled 70 images in this book.  I printed 100 copies, 10 come with an 8"x10" silver gelatin photo printed by me in my darkroom. Julia Dolan 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.' (click here to view images, click here to see pages from the book.)

softbound - $25
special edition w/ 8"x10" print - $200 (only 1 left!)

to purchase email bobby@bobbyabrahamson.com or purchase from photoeye.com

Pacific Northwest Postcards

44 handmade 4"x6" postcards, in 4"x6" archival box with photo on cover, limited printing of 20 sets, 2010.  

The postcards present the best images from 5 years of photographic wanderings in Portland and throughout the Pacific Northwest. Each postcard is printed using archival pigment ink, glued & trimmed by hand, and signed and editioned on the back in pencil.  To view photos of the postcards click here. To view a gallery of all the images in the series click here.

limited edition box set - $200

to purchase email bobby@bobbyabrahamson.com