Podcast Summary: All Of It – Find Photographer Jamel Shabazz in Prospect Park

Host: Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Guest: Jamel Shabazz, photographer
Date: December 29, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the work and personal journey of celebrated photographer Jamel Shabazz, whose new book, Prospect Park: Photographs of a Brooklyn Oasis, 1980–2025, chronicles life in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park over four decades. The discussion explores how Prospect Park has served as a place of healing, reflection, and artistic inspiration for Shabazz, and includes listener calls about their own connections to the park. The episode highlights themes of community, memory, healing, and the importance of capturing everyday moments.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Prospect Park as Refuge and Creative Space

• Shabazz’s Relationship with Prospect Park
  • After returning from the army in 1980, Shabazz sought a place to “heal my mind, body, and soul.” He found refuge in Prospect Park, using it as a space to reflect, decompress, and process life and work experiences, including working in men’s shelters and Rikers Island. (03:00)
  • Regularly brought his camera and journal to the park, writing and photographing to better understand both himself and the world. (03:45)
  • The park became a "moment of pause" and a hub where he formed meaningful connections with people also seeking peace.

2. Approach to Street Photography

• When to Engage vs. Candid Shots
  • Shabazz seeks moments of “love and joy” and prefers engagement: “Whenever possible, I let the subjects know that this is a very important photograph that's going to mean so much. As time goes on, would you allow me to freeze this moment in time?” (04:50)
  • He values engagement and the human connection: “I really believe that everybody I meet in life I meet for a reason.” (05:30)
  • Some moments—like people running or biking—are captured candidly without engagement, but most of his work is rooted in dialogue and mutual respect.

3. Personal and Historical Context

• Childhood Memories & Need for Decompression
  • Early memories: outings with his aunt and cousins, feeling “freedom and independence” outside his Red Hook neighborhood, enjoying nature after “five days of Catholic school.” (06:40)
  • Decompression: Growing up during the Vietnam War and civil rights era, he absorbed visual trauma from media and reality. As an adult, he faced the AIDS epidemic, crack epidemic, and violence, needing the park as a place to process and “be a sense of light in the street.” (07:50)
  • “I was first trying to heal myself, but I was trying to heal a lot of the young men around me who were dealing with this situation on an even greater level.” (09:10)

4. Community Interaction & Listener Engagement

• Listeners shared favorite places and memories: the doggie pond, bike racing, boathouse rentals, and family activities. (10:37–14:52)
• The park’s restorative power: “It’s a green space. You spend all your time on asphalt, around buildings … but the one thing that you could always count on was that green space.” – Desmond, caller (13:07)

5. On His Photographic Archive

• During COVID lockdown, Shabazz reviewed decades of negatives:
  • Discovered he had followed his father’s advice: “Carry your camera everywhere you go and document your journey.”
  • Reviewing the archive brought joy and healing: “I was able to relive a frozen moment in time. … It made my heart smile.” (11:37)
  • Organized photos into themes, reinforcing the value of continuous documentation.

6. Changes in Prospect Park and Brooklyn

• Noted increased diversity: “The biggest change … is just the diversity of people that come from around the world … from Cambodians and Vietnamese after the war, to people from Eastern Europe and Bangladesh.” (15:01)
• Observed how the park has remained a vital green space even as Brooklyn densifies and changes character.

7. Advice for Aspiring Street Photographers

• Learn foundational techniques, especially analog photography.
• “Study the greats … carry your camera everywhere you go … be observant … be respectful of the people that you document.” (17:05)
• Developing one’s own vision comes with continual study, practice, and openness to experience.

8. Favorite Places in Prospect Park

• Drummers Grove: “That’s a very special place for me because what I love about that is the unity of artists and creators and how they come together collectively … very spiritual for me.” (18:33)
• The lake: “I love the fact that I could just go and just kind of like just sit by a tree and meditate.” (19:25)
• Values places of unity, creativity, and reflection.

9. Message to Young Photographers

• Always have your camera and be observant.
• Seek “the best of humanity … joy, love, hope, friendship.”
• “The camera is a compass that puts me on a path that has allowed me to meet so many amazing people throughout my life.” (20:54)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Finding Healing in the Park:
  “The park has been a special place for me to really heal my mind, body and soul.” – Jamel Shabazz (02:43)

• On Engaged Photography:
  “The foundation of my work is rooted in love and the human connection.” – Jamel Shabazz (05:55)

• On Memory and Documentation:
  “It may not make sense now, but it's going to make sense in later. And when COVID hit, that became reality.” – Jamel Shabazz (12:32)

• On Brooklyn’s Transformation:
  “The biggest change … is just the diversity of people that come from around the world.” – Jamel Shabazz (15:01)

• On Drummers Grove:
  “There’s something spiritual about that space. And I leave there feeling so reinvigorated, you know, during those summer months.” – Jamel Shabazz (19:45)

• Advice to Aspiring Photographers:
  “Learn the craft … study the greats … have your camera out and be observant.” – Jamel Shabazz (17:05)

• On Human Connection:
  “For me, the camera is a compass that puts me on a path that has allowed me to meet so many amazing people throughout my life.” – Jamel Shabazz (21:15)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:43] Jamel Shabazz describes what Prospect Park has meant to him
• [04:40] Discussing process: candid vs. engaged photography
• [06:34] Childhood memories of the park
• [07:49] Processing trauma and growing up amidst social upheaval
• [11:37] Discovering the value of his photographic archive during COVID
• [15:01] Observations on Prospect Park's changing demographics
• [17:05] Advice on learning street photography
• [18:33] Shabazz’s favorite spots in the park: Drummers Grove and the lake
• [20:54] Advice for capturing public spaces and making connections

Conclusion

This episode offers an intimate look at Jamel Shabazz’s lifelong relationship with Prospect Park—how the park shaped his healing, career, and connections with others. Shabazz’s reflections and advice extend beyond photography, touching on the importance of community, documentation, and finding beauty and hope amidst hardship. Listener stories reinforce the park’s role as a communal oasis, making this conversation a powerful testament to the power of place, memory, and artistic purpose.