About Me
[usually Nairobi, Kenya; Ukraine June 20-July 1; south of France July 2-15]
KC 鄭康君 (b. 1995) is a Taiwanese American photojournalist based in Nairobi, Kenya for 5 years, covering how environment change impacts one's sense of belonging, foreign aid, and outdoor adventure. Her work began in the Arctic and extends globally, including unfriendly places like Western Sahara, northern Mozambique, and South Sudan–she can work in any environment with ease. She's the editor-at-large at The Xylom, the only AAPI science newsroom in the US.
With a background in ecology and art, KC initially picked up a camera to document the behind-the-scenes of field research, before turning her attention to finding ways to humanize seemingly far-flung places to audiences curious about the world, and their place in it.
In her work, KC examines themes of belonging and nostalgia in a world of unending flux. As overwhelming as both manmade and natural catastrophes may seem, it’s the tenderness of human connections that makes survival possible.
KC has herded reindeer in Finnmark, roasted lamb with pastoralists in the mountains of Xinjiang, hitchhiked through Tunisia, photographed from the back of a motorbike in the Karoo Desert, investigated how pesticides are poisoning Sri Lankan water supplies, spoken to former insurgents in Cabo Delgado, walked the Camino de Santiago, and free-dived off of the south Sinai peninsula. She loves big landscapes and can be found climbing rocks whenever possible.
Selected Publications
writing: Mekong Review, Africa is a Country, No Niin Magazine, Africa Intelligence, Atmos, Hidden Compass, Africa Confidential, Al Jazeera, Summit Journal, Ori Magazine, Nieman Labs, Earth Island Journal
photography: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Businessweek, Le Monde, El Pais, Christian Science Monitor, BBC Future, Der Spiegel, Climbing, Bicycling, The Nation, Agence France-Presse, Nature
Translated and Republished
Apple News, Courrier International, Internazionale
Education
2013-2017 Dartmouth College, Hanover, USA; B.A. Environmental Science, minors Studio Art & Chinese
Certifications
2025: HEFAT/tactical medicine according to the MARCH algorithm, psychological first aid, mine security, survival in combat conditions; Lviv, Ukraine
2022: HEFAT Nairobi, Kenya
2021: Scuba Schools International (SSI): Freediving Level 1
Languages
Mandarin, English
Grants, Awards, & Recognition
2025: International Women's Media Foundation Fellow: Reporting from Ukraine's Unseen Frontlines
2025: Nieman Reports, Visual Journalism, Resilience in South Sudan
2025: Der Greif, Guest Room: KJ Abudu
2025: photojournalism panel: Stand Together as One, Westgate Cinema, Nairobi, Kenya
2025: AP Covering Climate Now: Climate Migration
2025: Worlds Through Minds: East African Environmental Conflicts in Visuals
2025: Pulitzer Center Grantee: A copper giant navigating power plays between China-USA
2024: Rory Peck Trust Freelancer Support
2024: Textile Exchange x Magnum Visual Storytelling competition, shortlist
2024: Daniele Tamagni Foundation Shortlist
2024: APhotoEditor, Daily Edit Interview
2024: Uproot Environmental Justice Fellowship
2024: New York Times Portfolio Review
2024: Speaker for Research Seminar 'special topics in industrial design,' Georgia Tech school of architecture and industrial design
2023: Missouri Photo Workshop 75, Dope to Hope
2023: Deloitte Photo Grant, shortlist
2023: Global Health Journalist Talk at Davidson College, Pulitzer Center
2023: Der Greif 15th Anniversary, "Past & Present"
2023: Gold in the Solas Awards, Best Travel Writing Sports Category: The New Ascentionists
2023: Pulitzer Center Grantee: From herders to fishers–a tale of climate-induced livelihood adaptivity
2022 Pulitzer Center Grantee: Trust and Distrust in Western Sahara, Africa's Covid "black hole"
2022 Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists Grantee: IMWF
2022 Women Photograph Mentorship Class
2021 Rory Peck Hardship Assistance Fund
2021 Freelance Journalist Assembly safety clinic
2021 OPC Freelance Journalist Microgrant
2020 Laluz Workshop Scholarship: Your Work and Its Audience
2020 Der Greif Issue 13: Surplus Management
2020 Fulbright Semi-Finalist
2017 H. Allen Brooks Travelling Fellowship
2016 Neukom Institute of Computation ScienceTravel Grant
Associations
Represented by Redux
International Press Association of East Africa
Frontline Freelance Register
Society of Environmental Journalists
Overseas Press Club of America
Authority Collective
Photographers Without Borders