<p>"Steve and Kendra."</p>

ASTORIA LightBox Photographic Gallery will hold an artist reception for photographer Bobby Abrahamsons new exhibit North Portland Polaroids 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10.

Abrahamson is a Portland-based documentary photographer, filmmaker and media educator with 25 years of professional experience producing documentary work. He has five published books of his work and has been featured in 12 solo shows and numerous group exhibits in the US and Europe. His work is included in the permanent collections of many institutions, including the Portland Art Museum. He has a Master of Arts degree in media studies from The New School, a university in New York City.

Abrahamson has spent the past two years shooting hundreds of Polaroid Type 55 portraits of strangers he has encountered on the streets of St. Johns, a distinct, historically working-class neighborhood in North Portland where he lives. This expired, out-of-production, soon-to-be-extinct film produces both a print and a negative, providing Abrahamson the incentive he uses to entice his subjects to pose for a portrait. The photographer gives his subjects the instant print, while keeping the 4-inch-by-5-inch negatives for himself. He has compiled 70 images from this series in a recently published monograph.

Julia Dolan, the Minor White Curator of Photography at the Portland Art Museum, writes about the project in the books 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 isnt just anywhere. It is St. Johns, and these are its people, quietly yet eloquently described by Bobby Abrahamson and his photographs.

Also opening is LightBoxs first MobileMagic exhibit, a monthly display of the artistry of cell phone photography.

These exhibits will run from Aug. 10 to Sept. 7. LightBox is located at 1045 Marine Drive in Astoria. The gallery also provides fine photographic printing, restoration and framing services. Contact LightBox at 503-468-0238 or info@lightbox-photographic.com, and visit lightbox-photographic.com for more information.