It can be said that Joey Lawrence is one of the youngest and most successful photographers of our time. He is a portrait photographer whose skills with the camera are without a doubt immaculate. Choosing a single favorite picture from his gallery is a hard, close to impossible, task. Every picture is beautifully taken and gives a sense of powerful emotion. However, one that really stood out for me is this one. The captions states “Mayama Mustafa, 60, women’s leader and village midwife, with the two children she looks after: Jeneba, left, and Nafisatu, her niece. She holds the savings bank that all women contribute to and share”.  

It is powerful how the three of them look directly at the camera, how Mustafa in the middle  has a proud compusture and a strong gaze that instantly makes one think “Yes! that’s definitely a leader”. The two girls by her side stand slightly behind her symbolizing how they are being protected by Mustafa. They both stand very proud as well. The green scenery is refreshing and it contrasts with the traditional outfits they are all wearing complementing the picture nicely. One basic rule of photography is to avoid the middle, but in this case the picture is centered. However, it works because Joey’s goal is to put the focus on them and showcase them as they are.