Gabriela Oráa

Photojournalist

Biography 

Gabriela Oráa is a freelance photojournalist from Venezuela whose work focuses on political
and social issues, as well as human rights violations. 

She began her career in 2017 when she independently covered the Venezuelan protests, sparking a deep commitment to visual storytelling and leading her to pursue photojournalism full-time.

To further develop her skills, Oráa pursued specialized studies in documentary photography,
editorial portraiture, and investigative journalism. In 2020, she participated in the XXXIII Eddie
Adams Workshop and won the Chris Hondros Award. She was also recognized with three POYI
awards in 2025.

Her work has been featured in International news agencies like Reuters, Bloomberg News, El
País, AFP, and Getty Images.

Photo: The Last Hope

In 2023, María Corina Machado won the opposition primaries to challenge Nicolás Maduro in the presidential elections, but Venezuelan authorities subsequently barred her from running. As a result, she endorsed former ambassador Edmundo González Urrutia as the opposition’s candidate and led his political campaign across the country. After the election, authorities declared Maduro the winner, but the opposition contested the results, citing vote tallies that indicated a victory for González. Allegations of electoral irregularities led many countries to question the legitimacy of the outcome. Although Maduro retained power and González was forced into exile, Machado remains in hiding as the leader of the opposition and a key figure advocating for political change.