Yacouba Tanou
Washington, DC, USA
Born in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina-Faso and raised in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, Washington, D.C. based self-taught photographer, and third culture kid, Yacouba [Jacob] specializes in creating dynamic portraiture, sports and style imagery for editorial and commercial clients.
His work is graphic and bold in nature, molding supplemental light to illuminate and highlight his subjects in sparse, uncluttered and well defined environments allowing his subjects to command attention and be the focal point of the image. His palate is contemporary and rich utilizing strong shadows and highlights to create depth, contrast and dimension.
On a windy night in August of 2003, at the age of 25, my parents put me on a plane to Philadelphia with a phone number to call upon arrival and a few dollars in my pocket. I needed to escape the civil war in Côte d'Ivoire. My family was split apart with one sister going to Paris, France and the other Rabat, Morocco. My parents remained in Cote d'Ivoire. After over 11 years, my family and I, were finally reunited in 2014. I now reside in Mt. Pleasant, Washington DC with my wife, Leah.
2012 - Third place in contemporary life
- Breaking news
- Corporate
- Editorial
- Portrait
- Reporting
- Video capture