Jamel Shabazz

About Episode 92

In this episode of PhotoWork, host Sasha Wolf has a deeply moving conversation with renowned photographer Jamel Shabazz. They talk about his lifelong love for photography and how he uses it to make a social impact. Jamel opens up about how his life experiences have shaped his approach to art and hard work. The episode also covers his book, “A Time Before Crack,” and its importance to his community at the time. It’s a heartfelt conversation that goes beyond just photography. Tune in to hear the insights and stories from a photographer passionate about making a difference.

About Jamel Shabazz

Jamel Shabazz is best known for his iconic photographs of New York City during the 1980s. A documentary, fashion, and street photographer, he has authored 12 monographs and contributed to over three dozen other photography related books. His photographs have been exhibited worldwide and his work is housed within the permanent collections of The Whitney Museum, The Studio Museum in Harlem, The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, The Fashion Institute of Technology, The Art Institute of Chicago and the Getty Museum.

Over the years, Shabazz has instructed young students at the Studio Museum in Harlem’s “Expanding the Walls” project, The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture “Teen Curator’s” program, and the Bronx Museum’s “Teen Council.” He is also the 2018 recipient of the Gordon Parks award for excellence in the arts and humanitarianism and the 2022 awardee of the Gordon Parks Foundation/Steidl book prize. Jamel is also a member of the photo collective Kamoinge, and a board member of En Foco, another photo collective. His goal as an artist is to contribute to the preservation of world history and culture.

What advice do you have for emerging photographers?

“My best advice to emerging photographers is to first learn as much as you can about the craft, from light, speed, composition, to the business aspect. Next would be to carry their cameras everywhere they go, and lastly study the masters.”

Which book that you have been involved with is one you continue to revisit?

“My favorite book is “Pieces of a Man.” What makes this particular book special, is the large range of the photographs that are covered in it. The work spans from 1980 – 2015, accompanied by a variety of themes; from the early days of documenting my community in Brooklyn, to street portraiture, political protests and work I did in numerous countries, that I visited.”

Is there a book by another photographer that has influenced you in your career?

The book that has had the greatest impact on my career has been “Black in White America,” by Magnum photographer Leonard Freed. I first viewed this book at the age of nine years old, as it belonged to my father, who was a professional photographer at the time. The book was autographed and sat prominently on our coffee table. I vividly recall going through this book and being fascinated with both the rich black and white images made from various locations around the United States and Germany during the early 1960s. It was in this book that I first saw images of Harlem, New York, along with photos of the segregated south. Upon reading it, I was introduced to a whole new vocabulary; such as the words racism, segregation, lynching, and rape. I remember having the dictionary by my side as I looked up those words that I was not familiar with. This one book also opened up my eyes to the wonders of photography and motivated me to seek out more books and publications from the local library that were similar, something that I still do to this very day. Many years later when I decide that I wanted to be a photographer, my father gifted me with the book and told me to learn every aspect of it. In doing so, I took to the streets, and would often reference the work of Leonard Freed in my creative process, particularly how he composed his images.”