On December 14th, 2011, in a studio not so far away, East and West Coasters gathered to celebrate the launch of esteemed celebrity and fashion photographer, Mark Abrahams.  Best known for his simplistic yet powerful celebrity portraiture, the California native and former truck-driver turned self-taught photographer celebrated his first monograph, unpretentiously entitled Mark Abrahams.

The event was held at 842 Studio, located on Greenwich Street in the heart of the Meatpacking District. An open entrance, and candlelit staircase led up to the unexpectedly vast, multi-roomed studio. A large wall covered in photographs stretched from one side of the room to the other. Larger, independent portraits were scattered throughout the rooms, all seemingly glowing from a dim light surrounding the images. The exposed brick, wooden floors and flickering candlelight created a romantic, inviting vibe within the studio.

Minimalistic furniture and soft white light allowed the viewers to truly focus and admire the work of an extremely talented man, one who manages to capture an evanescent moment and fascinates the viewer with the honesty and candidness of the image. The photographs displayed the range of A-list celebrities Abrahams has worked with over the decades including Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, Heath Ledger, Tom Hanks, Michelle Williams, Dakota Fanning, Michael Pitt, Linda Evangelista, Liv Tyler, Jared Leto, James Franco, Sean Diddy Combs, Evander Holyfield and Michelle Obama, among several others.

The man of the hour was exuberant and graciously autographed his monograph. In attendance was the infamous fashion photographer, Annie Lebowitz, who was overheard expressing her pleasure in people actually observing the photographs. Courtney Love, outfitted in head-to-toe tangerine red, sipped champagne as Colin Firth circled the rooms, among several other celebrities and friends of the photographer.

Guests sipped champagne and wine from the beautifully arranged bar and snacked on delicious hors d’oeuvres including prosciutto wrapped asparagus, risotto croquettes, mushroom perogies and beef skewers.

Abrahams is donating his portion of the proceeds from his book to benefit Hope For Haiti Now. A gift that keeps on giving for the holiday season!

 “Mark Abrahams” is on sale now can be purchased online:
http://www.damianieditore.it/catalogo.php?IDlibro=492&LANG=en.

Congratulations on the fabulous achievement, Mark!

Love to all,

Amie