KIT KARZEN

Kit Karzen is a documentary and unit photographer based in Los Angeles. Born in New York City to a copywriter and a photographer, he was encouraged early on to explore the world with unwavering curiosity. His first taste of storytelling came while directing his high school’s weekly news broadcast — a formative experience that ignited his passion for chasing stories and collaboration.

Rather than attending college, Kit spent years racing track bikes around the world with the U.S. National Team. Upon retiring from the sport, he transitioned into a new direction with one of his sponsors, Oakley, on their global marketing team. In 2015, a mass corporate layoff pushed him toward a lifelong calling. He used his entire severance on used photo gear from Samy’s Camera and began documenting the social, political, and environmental issues shaping our time. A year later, he was on the frontlines at Standing Rock, photographing the Route 1806 bridge conflict for CNN.

Today, Kit splits his time between unit photography for studios like Netflix, Amazon, and CBS, and documentary work centered on identity, community, and the systems that shape both. His assignments have taken him from Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign to the COVID-19 frontlines for the LA Department of Health, from LGBTQ+ rights at Camp Brave Trails to racial equity in sport with L39ION of Los Angeles — the world’s only Black-owned professional cycling team.

Kit frequently contributes to outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, CNN, and The Wall Street Journal, and has been exhibited by institutions including The Autry Museum of the American West.

His work has been recognized by the Sports Emmy Awards for contributions to Amazon Prime’s Thursday Night Football and by the American Camp Association for his documentation of Camp Brave Trails.

When not behind the camera, Kit's likely riding motorcycles, playing dodgeball, hunting down classic diners with all-day breakfast, or occasionally confronting his fear of heights.

Affiliations & Certifications

IATSE Local 600 Stills Photographer

FAA-Certified Drone Pilot

Hostile Environments & First Aid Trained

National Press Photographers Association

American Photographic Artists

Clients

Amazon Studios, Best Made Co., BDG, Blumhouse, Boosocki, Bunim Murrary Productions, CAA, CBS Studios, Crooked Media, CULTIV8, New Belgium Brewing, GT'S Kombucha, Hammerhead, Jaybird, Harris for President 2024, LAMBDA Legal, L39ION of Los Angeles, Lionsgate, Los Angeles Times, Netflix, Nike, NYLON, Oakley, Originate, Playboy, SRAM, Stance, California Born, Wanderlust, Warner Brothers, Warner Horizon Television, Zipp Speed Weaponry, Zwift, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Camp Brave Trails, CBS, CNN, Impulse Los Angeles, Kamala Harris for the People 2019, NBC Nightly News, Natural Resource Defense Council, Schwarzenegger Institute, Team USA, Univision

Selected Honors

Awards: Sports Emmy – Thursday Night Football

Collections: The Autry Museum of the American West