How often does one get to hang in a very artsy and homey apartment in the upper west side and talk photography all evening long and get a personal slide show from a world renowned photographer?
Eli Reed was raised in poverty, worked as an orderly in a hospital’s cancer unit and put himself through Newark School of Fine and Industrial arts where he learned photography and the art of printing. He then worked at a newspaper and years later became a highly respected photographer, not only at Magnum but built a reputation as one of the best photographers in the motion picture industry. And oh, what a storyteller he is! His amazing stories took us through a time he accepted a volunteer position to help teach photography to inmates at a prison in upstate New York, putting himself right in the middle of a prison that the Ku Klux Klan was heavily represented… to his numerous experiences everywhere from war zones to the White House.
Today he makes his home in Austin, Texas and works as a professor of photojournalism at the University of Texas. What advice does he have for his students and other young photographers? Stop talking theory…don’t over-think the image…trust your instincts and listen to people. What a pleasure and an unforgettable experience…
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