Mary Ellen Matthews

Mary Ellen Matthews is a photographer based in New York City and East Hampton, New York. She is best known for her photographs featured on the television sketch comedy and variety show Saturday Night Live (SNL); her portraits of the celebrities who appear as guest-hosts and musical guests of SNL are displayed as the show returns from commercial breaks. Since 2010, she has also directed videos for SNL. Matthews began her career in film production and music publicity. In 2025, Matthews published The Art of the SNL Portrait with Abrams Books, containing around 200 of her celebrity photos with a foreword written by Lorne Michaels. She also began directing video clips for SNL in 2010, such as the show's opening title sequence.

In addition to her work on SNL, Matthews works in the realms of promotional, editorial and commercial photography for a variety of clients. Matthews is represented by the New York arm of the talent agency Jed Root Inc and her work has appeared in such publications as Rolling Stone, Marie Claire and the Spanish edition of Harper's Bazaar. She took promotional photographs of the 2009 fall/winter collection by Theory, a New York-based sportswear label, as well as photos for the movies What Happens in Vegas and Baby Mama. She has worked as a wedding photographer for such celebrities as Liv Tyler, Kate Hudson, and Tina Fey and has also toured with Aerosmith.