NEW YORK STREET PHOTOGRAPHY: SILVER GELATIN

Mary Ellen has been photographing on the streets of New York City since before she even lived in New York City—and she continues to.  The energy and variety of New York has always inspired Mary Ellen.  This is a small selection of photographs ranging from a carnival in Brooklyn in the 70s to a recent 9/11 Anniversary event in lower Manhattan.

CELEBRITIES

Magazine assignments, jobs on film sets, and even some personal connections have given Mary Ellen the opportunity to meet and photograph many well-known personalities over the years.  Actors, politicians, writers, directors, musicians, religious leaders, athletes…

20X24 POLAROID

In 1995, Mary Ellen was introduced to the 20x24 Polaroid camera.  She has worked with it often since then—both for editorial and commercial assignments and for her own personal projects.  There are only a few working cameras in the world, so she feels fortunate to have one nearby.  One of the challenges of working with the camera is that there is no “post-production” so everything has to be perfect when the shutter releases. 

For inquiries about commissioned portrait sittings with the 20x24 Polaroid camera, contact Julia Bezgin at the Mary Ellen Mark Studio. Sittings start at $20,000.

WARD 81 PRINTING NOTES

In preparation for the book and exhibition of Ward 81 small Portrega prints of selected images and attached them to index cards.  On these cards, Mark, Dr. Dean Brooks and others involved with the project made notations.  The notations on the back of each card are usually pertaining to how the final prints would be made. On the front, there are sometimes dots or stars used in the editing process.  This collection is a unique look at the Ward 81 project giving insight to how it evolved and the care taken in creating the book and exhibition. The cards and an accompanying book maquette are available for exhibition and purchase as a set.