Reed became a freelance photographer in 1970. Magnum Photos 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. 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.
Awards
- 1992 W. Eugene Smith Grant in Documentary Photography
- 1992 Kodak World Image Award for Fine Art Photography
- 1988 World Press Award
- 1988 Leica Medal of Excellence
- 1983 Overseas Press Club Award
- 1982 Nieman Fellowship at Harvard
- 1981 Mark Twain Associated Press Award
- 1981 Pulitzer Prize, runner-up
Exhibitions
- 1997 Leica Gallery, New York, USA
- 1996 Bruce Museum, Greenwich, CT, USA
- 1993 Visa pour li’mage, Perpignan, France
Books
- 2000 Local Heroes Changing America, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., USA
- 1997 Black in America, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., USA
- 1993 Poetic Justice: Film Making South Central Style, Delta, USA
- 1988 Beirut: City of Regrets, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., USA
- 1987 Homeless in America
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