Jamel Shabazz facts for kids

Jamel Shabazz (born in 1960) is an American photographer. He is known for his amazing photos of people and places, especially in New York City. Jamel takes pictures that show fashion, art, and everyday street life. His work often focuses on African American and other minority communities.

Shabazz's photos help people understand what it was like to grow up in the city during different times. He shows the realness and joy of these communities. His pictures often go against old, negative ideas about people living in these areas. One of his most famous photos is "A Time of Innocence." He took it in 1981 in Brooklyn, New York. This picture shows young African American children playing and riding in a shopping cart on a busy street.

Jamel Shabazz's Photography Career

Jamel Shabazz has created many important photo collections. His book Back in the Days (published in 2002) is a collection of his street style photos. He took these pictures in New York City between 1980 and 1989. They show the early days of hip hop culture.

Another book, The Last Sunday in June (2003), features photos taken over ten years at gay pride events in New York City. In 2017, he released Sights in the City: New York Street Photographs. This book includes photos from four decades of his work. His 2020 book, City Metro, shows pictures of people on the New York City Subway from 1980 to 2018.

Shabazz's photographs have also been used in other ways. They appeared in the 2007 documentary film Planet B-Boy. His work was also part of an art show called Street Art Street Life: From the 1950s to Now in 2008. This show was held at the Bronx Museum of the Arts. One of his photos was even used as the album cover art for the 2011 hip hop album Undun by The Roots.

Jamel Shabazz was also featured in a 2010 documentary film called Everybody Street. This movie is about photographers who take pictures of street life in New York City. In an interview with Nation19 magazine, Jamel shared that he uses both traditional film cameras and digital photography for his work.

Awards and Recognition

Jamel Shabazz has received several important awards for his photography:

• Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation Award (2010)
• The Gordon Parks Foundation Award for Documentary Photography (2018)
• Gordon Parks Foundation/Steidl Book Prize (2022)
• Lucie Award for Documentary (2023)