Seconds of My Life

by Jamel Shabazz (Photographer), Lauri Lyons (Introduction)

At age nine, Jamel Shabazz was introduced to photography by his father, who kept a signed copy of Leonard Freed's Black in White America on the family's coffee table. Intrigued by Freed's provocative images of both Southern and urban life, Shabazz knew then it was his calling to document his community and the people who gave it life.

Photography has given Shabazz a sense of purpose, allowing him to connect with the people he encounters on a daily basis. By connecting with his subjects, complimenting their style, and recognizing their potential-and then in turn publishing these images for the world at large to celebrate-in a small but meaningful way Shabazz has been able to counteract the damage society can wreak on self-esteem.

Seconds of My Life, Shabazz's fourth powerHouse book, delves deeply into the artist's archives, going back over 25 years and spanning the globe in its representation of human life. Whether in the hills of Jamaica or the shantytowns of Brazil, among the immigrants of France or the Buddhist monks of Bangkok, Shabazz seeks out strong personalities from all races, ethnicities, nationalities, genders, sexualities, and class backgrounds. Shabazz appreciates the poise and confidence of people in all their luminous variety.

Featuring photographs of Dave Chappelle, GrandMaster Flash, The Roots, Sweet Back, Big Daddy Kane, Public Enemy, Kanye West, Common, Mos Def, Russell Simmons, Jill Scott, Roy Ayers, Pete Rock, Jacob the Jeweler, and Grover Washington, Jr., famed fraternities Alpha Kappa Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Delta Sigma Theta, and Zeta Phi Beta, members of the Nation of Islam, Freemasons, Shriners, Bloods, Crips, cops, and city workers, as well as parades and anti-war protests, Seconds of My Life is an unstoppable tour de force.

Genres: Art

224 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2007

About the author

Jamel Shabazz (1960) is best known for his iconic photographs of New York City during the 1980s. A documentary, fashion, and street photographer, he has authored 12 monographs and contributed to over three dozen other photography related books. His photographs have been exhibited worldwide and his work is housed within the permanent collections of The Whitney Museum, The Studio Museum in Harlem, The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, The Fashion Institute of Technology, The Art Institute of Chicago and the Getty Museum.

Over the years, Shabazz has instructed young students at the Studio Museum in Harlem’s “Expanding the Walls” project, The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture “Teen Curator’s” program, and the Bronx Museum’s “Teen Council.” He is also the 2018 recipient of the Gordon Parks award for excellence in the arts and humanitarianism and the 2022 awardee of the Gordon Parks Foundation/Steidl book prize. Jamel is also a member of the photo collective Kamoinge, and a board member of En Foco, another photo collective. His goal as an artist is to contribute to the preservation of world history and culture.

Reviews

[Oliver Crook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. Such a stunning snapshot of a world and life that is long gone and honestly, in white culture we never really saw when it was around. Shabazz captures the everyday minutiae of life that we often just walk straight by. Sitting down with a coffee, it's possible to read Seconds of My Life like a book, seeing the underlying themes and story it's portraying. And like the best books, as soon as you've finished you want to pick it up and go through it again—no doubt with new images jumping out at me. It's so emotive that depending on your mood, previously ignored pictures hit you square in the gut. I honestly can't wait to read it again.

[Wesley Verhoeve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning document of the past, mostly set in NYC.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much beauty and positivity 💜

Even better with author’s recommended soundtrack: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLg...

[Meakin Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I despise nostalgia—it’s reductive and feels like a denial of the present. But I miss this New York.

I didn’t live this life, not even close, yet I miss the energy that imbued the city back then. It pulsed, and this book captures that rhythm.
.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

just really wonderful pictures of people through time in a single (mostly) place, really great testament to community, people, etc. the writing aint half bad either

[Sidik Fofana · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Six Word Review) Shabazz is the new Jacob Riis.

[Stephen Matlock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book of a slice of life in NYC in the 80s and 90s.