Heyyyyy, I was born in Pittsburgh but moved to Atlanta when I was 3. My name, "BANVOA," was passed down from my great-grandmother, the Queen and Royal Advisor of my dad's village in Kotobi, Ivory Coast, West Africa, in the past. It's a royal tradition for the first-born daughter to take the name; my parents wanted to continue that tradition. I got into Photography because of @Tumblr and @VSCO. In high school, I used a Tumblr blog as my mood board and later made a VSCO account. During that time, I took pictures of almost anything on my iPhone 5s, edited them on #VSCO, and then posted them on #Tumblr. I would take photos of #sunsets, #flowers, #treesilhouettes, #buildings, @FIJIwater bottles, #food, etc. Just anything that went with the Tumblr aesthetic trend at the time, and I just loved it. 🦋

I used to take photos of my friends on their @Instagram's, and they kept mentioning that I take good pictures. Photography started as a hobby because I originally wanted to be a #FashionDesigner. That was my dream since middle school, but I lost passion for it months after I graduated my senior year. So, I decided to play around with #Photography more. I used to borrow my friend's @Canonusa #Powershot, which she barely used, and we would go around #MariettaSquare and have little shoots with our friends. My parents got me my first camera and lens the following year, which took off from there. I went to a portfolio-building school in Atlanta called The @CreativeCircus for two years and graduated with a certificate in Photography in 2020. 🥳

I'm passionate about my Photography because it's the only thing that keeps me going. My work gives me purpose and keeps me inspired. I've never been dedicated to anything else, and it feels nice doing something that keeps me motivated. I love seeing my work grow and evolve. It has put me in rooms I never thought I would be in and has given me great opportunities.

Seeing my work reposted on different platforms. Big or small. Just seeing people embrace my work is very fulfilling.

I have curated with @Neilaofficial, @SaveBenReilly, and @RINIdawg. I want to curate with @DojaCat, @Pharrell, and @FeliciaTheGoat. 📸