Biography

I’m Kenzi Tamiko Kamei, a photographer, marine biologist, and storyteller shaped by a life lived across oceans and cultures. Born into a transnational life, I grew up between Indonesia, California, Singapore, and Canada.

 

I learned early on that home isn’t always a single place. Sometimes it’s a coastline, a community, or a story passed through generations. My photography is rooted in a desire to witness and preserve. I aim to capture the textures of a place, the intimacy of a moment, and the quiet honesty of people being exactly as they are.

 

Whether on assignment or while wandering, I photograph with care, honoring the story behind every face, landscape, and fleeting interaction.My academic background is in marine biology, with a focus on regenerative seaweed systems and the intersection of Indigenous knowledge and western science. I’ve worked in kelp restoration in the cold waters of Clayoquot Sound, studied wild seaweed harvesting in Japan, and spent time with seaweed cultivators and coastal communities in Bali and California. In every location, I’ve followed seaweed’s story.

 

Photography ties all of this together. It is my way of paying attention, of returning, of stitching together meaning across time and tide. My work explores the connections between people and place, from coastlines to kitchens, boats to markets. It asks what it means to belong — to land, to sea, and to each other.