Eli Reed
Encyclopedia
Ellis (Eli) Reed (born 1946) is an award-winning American photographer and photojournalist. Reed was the first full-time black photographer employed by Magnum AgencyMagnum PhotosMagnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices located in New York, Paris, London and Tokyo...
and the author of several books, including "Black In America". Several of the photographs from that project have been recognized in juried shows and exhibitions.
Reed is a former Nieman Fellow at Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(1982–1983) and is currently the clinical professor of photojournalism at The University of Texas at Austin. He was a runner-up for the Pulitzer Prize for Feature PhotographyPulitzer Prize for Feature PhotographyThe Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography has been awarded since 1968 for a distinguished example of feature photography in black and white or color, which may consist of a photograph or photographs, a sequence or an album....
in 1982. Reed is an Olympus VisionaryOlympus Corporationis a Japan-based manufacturer of optics and reprography products. Olympus was established on 12 October 1919, initially specializing in microscope and thermometer businesses. Its global headquarters are in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, while its USA operations are based in Center Valley, Pennsylvania,...
as well as a recipient of the World Press AwardWorld Press PhotoWorld Press Photo is an independent, non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Founded in 1955 the organization is known for holding the world's largest and most prestigious annual press photography contest....
and Overseas Press Club AwardOverseas Press ClubThe Overseas Press Club of America was founded in 1939 in New York City by a group of foreign correspondents. The wire service reporter Carol Weld was a founding member...
.
Early life
Reed was raised in Perth Amboy, New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. He took his first photograph at age 10; documenting his mother by the Christmas tree. Primarily self-taught in photography, he attributes his direction to mentor Donald Greenhaus rather than any formal studies. He studied illustration at the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts
Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts
Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts was a city-run vocational and art school in Newark, New Jersey. Opened in 1882 as the Evening Drawing School, its name was changed in 1909 to the Fawcett School of Industrial Arts, and changed again in 1928 to the Newark Public School of Fine and...
, graduating in 1969.
Career
Reed became a freelance photographer in 1970. Magnum PhotosMagnum Photos
Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices located in New York, Paris, London and Tokyo...
became affiliated with him after the success of his work in such conflicts as the wars in Central America, the war in Lebanon which he covered between 1983–1987, the 1986 Haiti coop against "Baby Doc" Duvalier, and the 1989 U.S. military action in Panama. He became a full member of the agency in 1988. He has documented the Million Man March
Million Man March
The Million Man March was a gathering of social activists, en masse, held on and around the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on October 16, 1995...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
during civil war, lives of African-Americans, upheaval in Zaire
Zaire
The Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...
, U.S. military action in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
among other things. Reed started making photographs of films and actors in 1992 and is also a member of Society of Motion Picture Still Photographers (SMPSP). Reed mainly uses the Olympus E-3, E-30, and EP-1 for his work.
Reed has taught in numerous places including at the Maine Photographic Workshop; Wilson Hicks Symposium, Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
, Florida; Southeastern Museum of Photography, Daytona, Florida; Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
, Washington, D. C.; San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
; Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
; Boston Institute of Art; Academy of fine Art, San Francisco; University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
; Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
; Empire State College
Empire State College
Empire State College, one of the thirteen arts and science colleges of the State University of New York, is a multi-site institution offering associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees. It is primarily oriented towards the adult learner...
, New York; New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, and the International Center of Photography
International Center of Photography
The International Center of Photography is a photography museum, school, and research center in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
, New York.
Awards
- 1992 W. Eugene SmithW. Eugene SmithWilliam Eugene Smith was an American photojournalist known for his refusal to compromise professional standards and his brutally vivid World War II photographs.- Life and work :...
Grant in Documentary Photography - 1992 Kodak World Image Award for Fine Art Photography
- 1988 World Press Award
- 1988 LeicaLeicaLeica Camera AG, a German optics company, produces Leica cameras. The predecessor of the company, formerly known as Ernst Leitz GmbH, is now three companies: Leica Camera AG, Leica Geosystems AG, and Leica Microsystems AG, producing cameras, geosurvey equipment, and microscopes, respectively...
Medal of Excellence - 1983 Overseas Press ClubOverseas Press ClubThe Overseas Press Club of America was founded in 1939 in New York City by a group of foreign correspondents. The wire service reporter Carol Weld was a founding member...
Award - 1982 Nieman FellowshipNieman FellowshipThe Nieman Fellowship is an award given to mid-career journalists by The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. This award allows winners time to reflect on their careers and focus on honing their skills....
at Harvard - 1981 Mark Twain Associated Press Award
- 1981 Pulitzer PrizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
, runner-up
Exhibitions
- 1973, The Black Photographer, Syracuse UniversitySyracuse UniversitySyracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
- 1973, New Jersey Photographs
- 1975, New Jersey Prisons, Newark Museum of Art
- 1975, The Whole Sick Crew, Newark-Rutgers University
- 1993, Visa pour l'image, PerpignanPerpignan-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...
, France - 1996, Bruce Museum, Greenwich, CT, USA
- 1997, Leica Gallery, New York, USA
- 1997, Magnum World exhibition and catalogue
- 1999, Black New York Photographers of the 20th Century Exhibition, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
- 2000, Indivisible
- 2000, Reflections in Black, and A History of Black Photographers 1840 to the Present, Smithsonian Museum, Washington, D. C.
Books
- Beirut: City of Regrets, New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1988. ISBN 978-0393305074
- Black in America New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1997. ISBN 978-0393039955
- Homeless in America, 1987.
- Local Heroes Changing America by Tom Rankin. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2000. ISBN 978-0393050288
- Poetic Justice: Film Making South Central Style by John Singleton. United States: Delta, 1993. ISBN 978-0385309141
Films (Production)
- 1992 Getting Out, director, produced for Tokyo TV, shown at the New York Film Festival
- 1988 America’s Children: Poorest in the Land of Plenty, photo essay for NBC
Films (Specials/Stills)
- 2005 Stay, still photographer, directed by Marc Forster
- 2003 2 Fast 2 Furious, still photographer, directed by John Singlton
- 2002 Two Weeks Notice, still photographer, directed by Marc Lawrence
- 2002 8 Mile, still photographer, directed by Curtis Hanson
- 2001 A Beautiful Mind, still photographer, directed by Ron Howard
- 2001 Bad Boy, still photographer, directed by John Singleton
- 2000 Shaft, still photographer, directed by John Singleton
- 1998 One True Thing, still photographer, directed by Carl Franklin
- 1996 Day of the Jackal, stills and specials, directed by Michael Caton-Jones
- 1996 Ghost of Mississippi, specials, directed by Rob Reiner
- 1996 Rosewood, stills, directed by John Singleton
- 1995 Kansas City, stills and specials, directed by Robert Altman
- 1994 Higher Learning, stills, directed by John Singleton
- 1992 Poetic Justice, stills, directed by John Singleton
- 1991 The Five Heartbeats, stills, directed by John Singleton