East African Environmental Conflicts in Visuals with KC Cheng
Name, age, where are you from, what format you like using, what are you currently working on if you are?
Kang-Chun Cheng (I go by KC though:), 29, from New Hampshire, based in Nairobi Kenya for 5 years. I'm a documentary photographer and writer. Currently working on obtaining access to work on a story about river blindness in the DRC. Had just returned from the Zambian copperbelt and was working on mining stories there.
What about your surroundings/environments and upbringing interested you?
I had a really insular upbringing in a remote part of New Hampshire. After finishing college in the northeast, where I studied ecology and art, I so badly wanted to get out there and see what else is happening in the world. Nairobi still is the only city I've lived in.
When was the first time you met photography? How did you feel when you met it?
I started taking photos to document the behind-the-scenes of ecology field research, before turning my attention to finding ways to humanize seemingly far-flung places to audiences curious about the world, and their place in it. It felt like a portal into a different form of attention and observation, and I loved how much it made me look at the world, and my interactions with it differently.
Tell us about current projects you have been working on (could be any, or just work you have been doing in general). Is this story inspired out of personal reasons, or others? What are you most excited about in these projects?
I'm looking to work on a series of projects in the East/Southern african region on the environmental costs of conflict. It's both out of personal interest and the continued track record of how underreported topics of grave importance, and connection to the western world, remain. As someone who has lived in East Africa for most of the formative years of my 20s, I'd like my experiences and perceptions of the gaps to be reflected in my work. I'm excited about working through tricky logistics and access to bring narrative stories of seemingly far-flung places to international audiences, and help bridge the understanding of what goes on here, does matter to everyone else.
How did you find your visual literacy? Why are you attracted to certain images more than others?
I'm a rather intuitive person, and drawn toward interesting colours, shapes, and textures. I like images that feel intentional but not overly contrived or planned--it's the circumstances out of our control , that when aligned with our vision, brings the magic. I like images that make me take a second look, and perhaps even consider the context of what's going on.
Imagine meeting someone who is picking up a camera for the first time. What do you tell them?
Don't think too hard, what you notice and take photos of is in a way, an extension of your mind/how you engage with the world. And this is something that can be honed. :)
