Karla Held is a multilingual photojournalist with extensive international experience. She has worked as a staff photographer for the Spanish speaking newspaper, Rumbo Diario, of Houston, Texas, and The Herald-Zeitung of New Braunfels, Texas. Currently a freelance photographer, she shoots for various newspapers and magazines, events and project -based work. With a BFA in photography from Rice University in Houston, Texas, and a BA in Spanish and Art from Pitzer College in Claremont, California, she implements her artistic eye and background in her work. With fluency in Spanish and French, she has lived and worked in Africa, Asia, Latin America, The Middle East, Europe and the Caribbean. Having worked as a stringer for the European Press Agency during her time in Benin, West Africa, she works well in challenging environments independently and as a team-player.
During her time working abroad and exploring Texas rivers in her kayak, Karla has produced numerous travel articles that have been published in the San Antonio Express-News, The Houston Chronicle, The Herald-Zeitung and Guidelines Magazine (Thailand).
Karla has been invited to press trips in Turkey and Germany, awarded awards with AMPE and ASMP, and most recently earned a fellowship in Washington D.C. with the National Press Foundation based on her photos taken for a USAID project in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia.
With a special interest in documentary photography, she has worked with the following documentary organizations: Mahala Empowerment Media (South Africa) , Visual Eyes Productions (California) and The New Media Center (Washington D.C.)
Clients include The Austin American-Statesman , San Antonio Express-News, The Houston Chronicle, The Asheville Citizen-Times (North Carolina), The Spartanburg Herald-Journal (South Carolina), Spartanburg Magazine, Conexion, Canyon Lake Views and SA210.