Joey Lawrence is a Canadian-born self-taught photographer and director based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Joey is known for both his fine art personal projects and high profile commissions.

We Came From Fire: Kurdistan’s Armed Struggle Against ISIS chronicles both the tragedy and renaissance of Kurdish culture throughout war in Iraq and Syria from 2015 until 2019. As a fully independent project without the constraints of mainstream media, the images provide a deeply personal and humanizing view of the conflict. The image collection and book has been featured in London’s National Portrait Gallery, Rencontres d’Arles, and exhibited by Metrography at Amna Suraka, a Saddam-era prison in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It was published by the Sunday Times, Vanity Fair Italia, BBC, the Guardian, and others.

Joey’s has worked with top brands and advertising clients, including National Geographic Channel, Disney+, Kerala Tourism, Canada Goose, and Lavazza. His images are regularly featured in magazines and billboards around the world. Joey has photographed recognizable faces including Christian Bale, Matthew McConaughey, Robert De Niro, Danny DeVito, Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Chastain, and David Beckham, to name a few.

Joey often collaborates directly with charities and NGOs to summon meaningful change. For WaterAid, Joey worked in Sierra Leone on long-term cultural study of a small community overcoming water related issues. The campaign raised a staggering £4.2 million that was matched by the UK Government to take the total above £8 million. Joey’s collaboration with WaterAid continues into Ethiopia with new projects and fundraising campaigns for the installation of clean water wells and solar-powered pumps.

Joey’s forthcoming fine art book and genesis NFT drop ETHIOPIA ኢትዮጵያ will celebrate 13 years of work from the Horn of Africa.

• Twitter: @joeyldotcom
• Instagram: @joeyldotcom
• Website: www.joeyL.com