Sharjah: Whether he’s photographing Hollywood actors or militia men, Eli Reed’s work is characterised by a distinct sense of humanity and empathy.
In a discussion titled ‘The Finding of the Core’, Professor Reed, who began photographing as a freelancer in 1970, spoke about the power of the photograph, something, he said, is decided even before one takes it. How? The answer lies in the fact that whether or not one is able to unearth and connect with the core of the story one is working on.
“No matter what you have been told by your assignment editor, the weight of discovery will mostly all be on you,” Prof Reed remarked.
He acknowledged the fact that while a photographer is on an endless pursuit trying to find the ‘why, what and how’ of a story and working hard to see and capture everything that meets the eye, it is easy to miss that story’s very core.
“I’m always trying to figure out what I want to really say. Every time I get an assignment to work on, I’m interested in it myself,” Prof Reed observed.
“My life in photography has been a long meditative journey about what it truly means to be a human being. Life is not a sprint, it is a marathon. What that means is that as a human being and as a photographer, you have to take the time to go and see and let yourself melt into where you are,” he added as he took the audience on a journey through his works.
Although Reed photographs from a six-foot-five-inch height, his work is never aloof; it is full of compassionate, intimate and grounded moments.
“I am more of a glass half full kind of a guy; I am not interested in glasses half empty,” were the veteran’s parting remarks to all emerging and established photographers.
