My name is Kevin Lendio. I’m a law student, photographer, and a creative based in the Philippines.
I was born the youngest of eight children, raised in the bustling city of Cebu. As a senior in high school, I developed an interest in photography, which led me to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Advertising Arts at the University of San Carlos. At 21, I left the comfort of my home and moved overseas to pursue a career in photojournalism.
My first entry-level job was as an in-house graphic designer and photographer for a mountain resort in Vietnam. While sitting at my office desk, I came across a photograph by Nick Út, famously known as "Napalm Girl." I was immediately struck by the story and the strong emotion conveyed in that single image, especially how it immortalized a fleeting moment in history that, if it hadn't been captured and published, would have faded into obscurity.
That’s when I first caught the spark of visual storytelling. I realized I wanted to take photos and tell people’s stories.
In 2018, I flew to the States to study, where I worked as a photo editor and photographer for student news publications in Los Angeles and contributed to Getty Images through my coverage of California wildfires. My work has appeared in digital publications such as the Associated Press, NBC News, and Lonely Planet.
I was awarded first runner-up in the 2020 Student Photojournalist of the Year award by the Press Photographers Association of Greater Los Angeles and was honored to participate in the 33rd Eddie Adams Workshop in the same year.
Growing up in a Christian home, I learned to view the world through a lens of compassion and grace. Through years of immersive volunteering and working closely with people from diverse cultures across three continents, I witnessed firsthand the human struggle for equality, justice, and survival.
By documenting the lives and socioeconomic challenges faced by those around me, I gained a unique perspective on human existence. This experience led me to wonder: what more can I do to make an impact?
Today, I am back in the Philippines studying law, hoping to broaden my influence and create positive change.
“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” —Nelson Mandela