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For 45 Years, Jamel Shabazz Photographed the Joyful Refuge of Prospect Park

“Street photography is a way of life,” Jamel Shabazz says, a sentiment he’s embodied and shared with the public for the past half century. The legendary photographer is best known for documenting the style, culture, and political landscape of his native Brooklyn from the 1980s onward, part of which is now collected in a new book published by Prestel.

Prospect Park: Photographs of a Brooklyn Oasis, 1980 to 2025 contains 120 color and black-and-white images captured within the urban enclave. At 585 acres, the public park offers a vast area for gathering, exercising, and engaging with nature, and for Shabazz, it’s always been a refuge from life’s realities.

a photo by Jamel Shabbaz of two women posing with their backs together

Prospect Park, 1995, © Jamel Shabazz, 2025

He began taking the photos in this collection after returning to New York following a 36-month service in the U.S. Army and while he worked for the Department of Corrections at the notorious Riker’s Island facility. For Shabazz, Prospect Park became a site of joy and community and a small escape from these everyday horrors.

Included in the monograph are several portraits that show what a fixture the photographer has been in the park. Warm, easy smiles and confident poses abound, and while the popular fashions and technology may change, so much of life depicted stays the same. The images glimpse how vital the outdoor space has remained over the years, as several generations climb trees, gather to look out over one of the lakes, or simply find joy in each other’s company.

Find more of Shabazz’s archive on Instagram, and pick up a copy of Prospect Park on Bookshop.

two teen girls pose for Jamel Shabazz

Prospect Park, 1981, © Jamel Shabazz, 2025

a photo by Jamel Shabbaz of a man through autumn leaves

Jamel Shabazz’s father at Prospect Park, 1990, © Jamel Shabazz, 2025

a man in a tree with a book while a child stands below in a photo by Jamel Shabazz

Prospect Park, 2010, © Jamel Shabazz, 2025

a photo by Jamel Shabbaz of two boys sitting on a log

Prospect Park, 2014, © Jamel Shabazz, 2025

a photo by Jamel Shabbaz of a group of women sitting on a bench

Prospect Park, 1982, © Jamel Shabazz, 2025

a portrait by Jamel Shabbaz of a man in army fatigues and a fur hat

a photo by Jamel Shabazz of a man holding a Jamaican flag

a black and white portrait of Jamel Shabbaz with his camera

the cover of Prospect Park by Jamel Shabbaz

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article For 45 Years, Jamel Shabazz Photographed the Joyful Refuge of Prospect Park appeared first on Colossal.

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