Russell Klika
Encyclopedia
Russell Lee Klika is an award-winning newspaper and U.S. military combat photographer, photojournalist and trainer who grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin, 100 miles north of Milwaukee.
. Klika served three tours of duty in Iraq, the latest in 2006 with the 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment of the Tennessee Army National Guard. and, 2008, one tour of duty in Afghanistan, where United Press International
regularly picked up and ran his photos on the wire. He remained deployed on full duty as a combat photographer in Afghanistan until late 2009. His photos from the frontline have been featured on Tennessee's Volunteer State Guard online publication in a column titled "Klika's Korner."
In late 1980, he left the Marine Corps and became head photographer at The Vista Press, a now-closed daily newspaper in Vista, California
, where he covered the 1992 Rodney King
riots in Los Angeles, California
. While at The Vista Press, in 1992 he was awarded Best of Show photo in the San Diego Press Club's annual county-wide journalism contest. He left the newspaper in 1992 to go to work for the Escondido Times Advocate
while also freelancing for the Los Angeles Times
.
Klika is a 1988 graduate of the Eddie Adams
Workshop.
In 2004, he joined the 278th Regimental Combat Team Tennessee Army National guard as a noncommissioned officer as head of public affairs, deploying with the unit for a tour in Iraq. After he returned, he became an operation warrior trainer for the first army and a combat photography trainer in public affairs at Camp Atterbury
in Edinburgh, Indiana
. When his service ended in February 2008, Klika became a contract employee for the National Guard in Smyma, Tennessee, where he currently supervises civilian photographers assigned to the National Guard.
In April 2007, Klika won first place in the Military Photographer of the Year contest for his portrait of an Iraqi child. In February 2008, 40 of his Iraq photos were displayed at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. In May 2008, Klika was awarded an honorable mention in the Art of Photography Show for a photo titled "Faces of Iraq," on display at the Lyceum Theatre Gallery
in downtown San Diego. In February 2008, he had two one-man shows and gave lectures at Point Park University and Slippery Rock University In May 2007, his photos of soldiers saving a dog along the Syrian-Iraqi border were featured on an animal rescue news site.
Then, in late May 2008, his photos appeared with eight other combat photographers' in the "Eye of the Storm" gallery showing in West Hollywood, California.
In June 2009, he was awarded the Bronze Star from the Army's Special Forces after going with his unit on more than 60 combat missions in Afghanistan and documenting the operations with photo images.
Klika's photography work in Iraq is depicted in the book, Iraq: Through the Eyes of an American Soldier.
Photo career
Klika, at age 17, joined the U.S. Marine Corps and eventually became a combat photographer and trainer, serving 12 years. Staff SgtStaff Sergeant
Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in several countries.The origin of the name is that they were part of the staff of a British army regiment and paid at that level rather than as a member of a battalion or company.-Australia:...
. Klika served three tours of duty in Iraq, the latest in 2006 with the 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment of the Tennessee Army National Guard. and, 2008, one tour of duty in Afghanistan, where United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
regularly picked up and ran his photos on the wire. He remained deployed on full duty as a combat photographer in Afghanistan until late 2009. His photos from the frontline have been featured on Tennessee's Volunteer State Guard online publication in a column titled "Klika's Korner."
In late 1980, he left the Marine Corps and became head photographer at The Vista Press, a now-closed daily newspaper in Vista, California
Vista, California
Vista is a city in north San Diego County, California. It was incorporated January 28, 1963 and became a charter city on June 13, 2007. Located just seven miles inland from the Pacific Ocean in northern San Diego County, the City of Vista has a Mediterranean climate...
, where he covered the 1992 Rodney King
Rodney King
Rodney Glen King is an American best known for his involvement in a police brutality case involving the Los Angeles Police Department on March 3, 1991...
riots in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. While at The Vista Press, in 1992 he was awarded Best of Show photo in the San Diego Press Club's annual county-wide journalism contest. He left the newspaper in 1992 to go to work for the Escondido Times Advocate
North County Times
The North County Times is a local newspaper in north San Diego County, California owned by Lee Enterprises. It is headquartered in Escondido. The current publisher is Peter York....
while also freelancing for the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
.
Klika is a 1988 graduate of the Eddie Adams
Eddie Adams (photographer)
Eddie Adams was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American photographer and photojournalist noted for portraits of celebrities and politicians and his coverage of 13 wars.-Combat photographer:...
Workshop.
In 2004, he joined the 278th Regimental Combat Team Tennessee Army National guard as a noncommissioned officer as head of public affairs, deploying with the unit for a tour in Iraq. After he returned, he became an operation warrior trainer for the first army and a combat photography trainer in public affairs at Camp Atterbury
Camp Atterbury
Camp Atterbury, near Edinburgh, Indiana, USA, is a training base of the Indiana National Guard. It was planned just months before the U.S. entry into World War II. Originally surveyed and researched by the Hurd Company, the present site was recommended to Congress in 1941. Construction commenced...
in Edinburgh, Indiana
Edinburgh, Indiana
Edinburgh is a town in Bartholomew, Johnson, and Shelby Counties in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 4,480 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Columbus, Indiana metropolitan statistical area. Edinburgh was named in honor of Edinburgh, Scotland and for many years was pronounced the...
. When his service ended in February 2008, Klika became a contract employee for the National Guard in Smyma, Tennessee, where he currently supervises civilian photographers assigned to the National Guard.
In April 2007, Klika won first place in the Military Photographer of the Year contest for his portrait of an Iraqi child. In February 2008, 40 of his Iraq photos were displayed at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. In May 2008, Klika was awarded an honorable mention in the Art of Photography Show for a photo titled "Faces of Iraq," on display at the Lyceum Theatre Gallery
in downtown San Diego. In February 2008, he had two one-man shows and gave lectures at Point Park University and Slippery Rock University In May 2007, his photos of soldiers saving a dog along the Syrian-Iraqi border were featured on an animal rescue news site.
Then, in late May 2008, his photos appeared with eight other combat photographers' in the "Eye of the Storm" gallery showing in West Hollywood, California.
In June 2009, he was awarded the Bronze Star from the Army's Special Forces after going with his unit on more than 60 combat missions in Afghanistan and documenting the operations with photo images.
Klika's photography work in Iraq is depicted in the book, Iraq: Through the Eyes of an American Soldier.
External links
- Russell Klika official site
- WordStream Publishing's page for Through the Eyes of An American Soldier
- Wordstream Publishing's official site
- Photo of Iraqi woman featured in File Magazines "Faces of Iraq"
- Featured in SRA Today magazine, "Combat Shooter: The not-so-still life of a combat photograher" (Oct. 2007)
- U.S. Army site with images by Russell Klika
- May 2006 article with photos by Klika in Blackanthem Military News
- Article in Defend America that includes Klika's photos
- Member, National Press Photographers Association