When “Saturday Night Live” begins its 51st season this week, beyond the usual concerns as enduring as the sketch show itself — Who will be the new breakout stars? Is “Weekend Update” pulling punches? Is this thing even funny anymore? — please consider its bumpers, those fleeting portraits of the hosts and the musical guests, bumping into commercials. Lorne Michaels himself says it is one of the show’s least appreciated traditions, and for 50 years, those portraits have been made by only two photographers, both of whom have art books this year showcasing the “SNL” bumper.

It’s been the work of Mary Ellen Matthews for the past 25 years. She has shot almost 4,000 bumpers, a few hundred of which are included in her book, “The Art of the SNL Portrait.” She came to the job through Edie Baskin,

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