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 experience behind the camera 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. After retiring from the sport, he joined one of his sponsors, Oakley, on their global marketing team. In 2015, a mass corporate layoff shifted his path. 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 the Kamala Harris 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 his work has been exhibited by institutions including The Autry Museum of the American West.

His contributions to Amazon Prime’s Thursday Night Football have earned him a Sports Emmy Award, and his documentation of Camp Brave Trails received commendations from the American Camp Association.

When not behind the camera, Kit's likely riding motorcycles, playing dodgeball, tracking 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, Blumhouse, Brave Trails, CBS Studios, CNN, Crooked Media, Harris for President 2024, L39ION of Los Angeles, Lionsgate, Los Angeles Times, NBC Nightly News, Netflix, Natural Resource Defense Council, New Belgium Brewing, Nike, Oakley, Playboy, Roku, SRAM, Team USA, The Wall Street Journal, Warner Bros.

Selected Honors

Sports Emmy Award – Thursday Night Football

Collections: The Autry Museum of the American West