Photographer Profiles

Yaw Addae is an enterprising and creative New York taxi driver from Ghana who photographs his passengers while he saves money to start a production company. He says the flexible schedule of a cabbie gives him plenty of time to pursue a variety of creative pursuits.

 

A photo posted by Riders Of New York (@ridingyellow) on Jul 28, 2016 at 7:44pm PDT

Addae’s “Riding Yellow” portraiture project was recently highlighted on Instagram’s official account and has given him some well-deserved notoriety for the compelling images of his passengers and the occasional passerby. He moved to the Bronx from Ghana in 1995, and says the goal of his casual portraits is to share a message of harmony and respect.

 

A photo posted by Riders Of New York (@ridingyellow) on Jun 13, 2016 at 7:45pm PDT

“We all influence each other,” he explains, “and it would be so much easier if we could all respect one another and the roles we play in life—from the doctor to the delivery man, to the dry cleaner, and, of course, the Yellow Cab driver.”

 

A photo posted by Riders Of New York (@ridingyellow) on Mar 21, 2016 at 6:44am PDT

Clearly, Addae is not only a cabbie and a photographer, but a philosopher as well. You can see more images from the Riding Yellow project on his Instagram page.