A Visual History

Last Friday, famed photographer Jamel Shabazz stopped by in Toronto at Ryerson University to speak as part of the Kodak Lecture Series at the institution to talk about his 'Seconds of My Life' project. While Shabazz is primarily known for his photos that captured the spirit of early hip-hop culture in his native Brooklyn, particularly in his book, Back in The Days, there's much more to his photography than this element.

What made his lecture so engaging were the stories behind his photographs. After showing the very first picture he ever took - the birth of a friend's baby - Shabazz revealed the very next thing he did was to pass out.


Shabazz, however, was also very interested in the entire life cycle and death reared throughout his presentation. Many of Shabazz's photographic subjects have died over the years. The amount of times Shabazz mentioned the phrase 'viciously murdered' while delivering these stories, was to be honest, quite depressing.

The spectre of 9/11 loomed over several photographs and while Shabazz captured the World Trade Center before it collapsed and pictures of Ground Zero - Shabazz volunteered in the rescue effort - his most poignant picture was of a woman on a train who realized her cousin had died in the attack.

Despite all of this, Shabazz, a 20-year veteran of the often brutal correctional facility system, remains optimistic and passionate. His photos are determined to bring out the humanity in everyone and easily surpass the hip-hop and fashion categories. According to him, he's just getting started.

Watch Jamel Shabazz's Lecture at Ryerson University

photo: Jamel Shabazz