Unless you've been living under a rock for the last 7 years or so, you've probably seen some of the fascinating work produced by photographer and aspiring film maker Joey L. Whether it's his Holy Men series, or his work done with National Geographic, Joey L has always been able to create incredible cinematic story telling in his work, with a strong sense of honesty. In his latest project, Guerrilla Fighters of Kurdistan, Joey L shows us the tragic conflicts taking place in Syria and Iraq.
In March of this year, Joey L did what everyone advised him not to - Joey went to Iraq to photograph and film the conflicts currently going on between Syria and Iraq. During this time, Joey stayed with various Kurdish guerrilla groups fighting to protect their land and people. After researching these groups, Joey decided he wanted to see their world for himself, and embarked on his trip to Iraq. The result, was compelling images, video, and storytelling that is unseen in a lot of mainstream media.
Watch the video above for some thought-provoking storytelling from Joey L himself has he walks you through his trip to meet with these guerrilla fighters. On his blog post on his own website (which I consider a must read) Joey tells us of his trip and how it all came to be. Below are some of the incredibly powerful images Joey was able to take on his trip.
Click Here to Read Joey L's Experiences on the Trip
[via Joey L's blog | Images Copyright Joey L | Used With Permission]
So good! Joey L. is one of the best there is. Imagine how good he will be when he hits 30.... and 40... and 50. =P Jeez.
which country? Kurdistan is not a country.
It's a geo-cultural region of Iraq. Iraq is stated in the article multiple times.
I don't think I have every used this word in my life, but this video was superb. The media does not capture what is going on there, but Joey truly did.
Great example for power of photography and story telling :) These people (PKK) are used to be "terrorist" inside the borders of Turkey and responsible from death of 30.000 people in last 20 years, and now I see in many places in media that they are being re-packaged and presented to the world as "freedom fighters" and "heroes" against ISIS thread.
Often the only difference between a "terrorist" and a "freedom fighter" is the ideological side the one defining them happens to be on.
american government being a true example of that.
Zach, I generally enjoy your articles, but you should take a minute to proofread them.
Wow..Much respect..But Joey L you are nuts being so close to ISIS..That being said, I enjoyed this video very much.
Yeah, the work aside I think this is INSANE to get this close to ISIS. He got better pictures than most of the press though so the risk clearly payed off.
Joey L. is awesome! My favourite photographer!
Wow...just wow...Joey L I have been always impressed by your still work but never did I know your gift of storytelling in video form is equally so. Such a wonderfully narrated documentary piece.