The Alchemy of Urban Street Portraits, with Jamel Shabazz
Release Date: 05/22/2025
The Great Acceleration: Human-Altered Industrial Landscapes, with Edward Burtynsky
B&H Photography Podcast
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B&H Photography Podcast
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B&H Photography Podcast
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The Alchemy of Urban Street Portraits, with Jamel Shabazz
B&H Photography Podcast
When it comes to his iconic street portraits, Jamel Shabazz is all about building relationships and spreading joy. Yet, beyond the rich tapestry created with both the neighbors and strangers, friends and rivals he’s encountered across New York’s five boroughs, Jamel’s most meaningful role might be that of a street teacher, touching the lives of the people in front of his lens and inviting them to mark their place in history. In today’s podcast, we learn from the master while tracing his career path, from early observational learning at the side of his father—a professional...
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B&H Photography Podcast
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B&H Photography Podcast
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B&H Photography Podcast
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B&H Photography Podcast
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B&H Photography Podcast
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Picturing the World from Immersive to Eternal, with Claudio Edinger
B&H Photography Podcast
Above Photograph © Claudio Edinger When it comes to photography, Claudio Edinger has a Midas touch. Equally celebrated for his immersive photo series, the intimacy of his portraits, and his aerial views that conjure a sense of the eternal through selective focus, his compulsion for research drives adjustments to his photographic strategy from one project to the next. In today’s show, we unpack the many facets of Claudio’s storied career, from his arrival in New York and early documentation of Brooklyn’s Hasidic community in the late 1970s to the environmental portraits he made inside...
info_outlineWhen it comes to his iconic street portraits, Jamel Shabazz is all about building relationships and spreading joy. Yet, beyond the rich tapestry created with both the neighbors and strangers, friends and rivals he’s encountered across New York’s five boroughs, Jamel’s most meaningful role might be that of a street teacher, touching the lives of the people in front of his lens and inviting them to mark their place in history.
In today’s podcast, we learn from the master while tracing his career path, from early observational learning at the side of his father—a professional photographer in his own right—to his first street portraits of classmates and friends. Jamel also shares how his singular vision was shaped by outside forces, including three years overseas in the Army and 20 years as a New York City corrections officer.
Incredibly, Jamel was able to take his camera along inside, and he describes the fine line he walked in our chat. “So, it was illegal,” he admits, “but I was known to have done it throughout my entire career. As time went on, I became known as that photographer within the department that photographed everybody. You know, the brass, the officers. And I gave everybody the photographs. So, yes, I killed them with kindness.”
Guest: Jamel Shabazz
Guest Bio: Jamel Shabazz is a documentary, fashion, and street photographer from Brooklyn, who has spent more than four decades capturing the cultural shifts and struggles of New York City through iconic photographs. His pictures have been exhibited worldwide, are permanently housed in prestigious institutions, and currently featured in nine monographs, along with more than three dozen other photo books. A recipient of the 2018 Gordon Parks Award and the Gordon Parks Foundation/Steidl book prize in 2022, Jamel is also dedicated to education, having instructed young students through programs at the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Schomburg Center, and the Bronx Museum. As a member of the Kamoinge photo collective and a board member of En Foco, Jamel’s artistic mission remains centered on preserving urban history and culture through powerful, intimate portraits.
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Host: Derek Fahsbender
Senior Creative Producer: Jill Waterman
Senior Technical Producer: Mike Weinstein
Executive Producer: Richard Stevens