Kike Calvo

Award-winning photographer, journalist, and author Kike Calvo (pronounced Kee-Keh) specializes in culture and environment. He has been on assignment in dozens of countries, working on stories ranging from belugas in the Arctic to traditional Hmong costumes in Laos. Kike's images have been published in National Geographic Magazine, The New York Times, Time, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, New York Magazine, Rolling Stone, and Vanity Fair, among others. A National Geographic Certified Educator and a former contributor to National Geographic's Voices blog, his images are represented by AP Images, Redux Pictures, and the National Geographic Image Collection. 

Kike has been part of scientific river expeditions in Colombia, Brazil, and Peru. Over the years, Kike has joined numerous National Geographic Expeditions - from Spain and Patagonia to Costa Rica and the Amazon. He also enjoys teaching photography workshops and has been a guest lecturer at leading institutions like the School of Visual Arts and Yale University. Kike is the recipient of the 2020, 2021, and 2022 Safina Center, Fellowship.

Kike is the co-founder of The Adventures of Pili initiative, a project with the mission to create bilingual books that will increase children’s awareness of global environmental issues and foster multi-lingual literacy. Partnering with local NGOs, and adding the support of companies and readers, to date, thousands of free bilingual books have been given to kids living in remote communities around the world. 

Kike is pioneering in using small unmanned aerial systems to produce aerial photography as art, and as a tool for research and conservation. His early work with drones was profiled as a genius in the 2019 National Geographic Almanac. He is also known for his iconic photographic project, World of Dances, on the intersection of dance, nature, and architecture. He has authored fifteen books, including Drones for Conservation; Staten Island: A Visual Journey to the Lighthouse at the End of the World; Habitats, with forewords by David Doubilet, and Jean-Michel Cousteau; and Corpus Christi in Atánquez. Professor of Anthropology and author Wade Davis, has described Kike as a worldly and seasoned photographer, and a fresh voice in the world of (visual) anthropology.