Lagos, Nigeria January 2010

These photographs were made for a joint project involving the Shoka Foundation and Magnum Photos Foundation. The projects focus was on the covering of the introduction of mobile toilets into Lagos, Nigeria and a brief look at Nigerian Society.

Looking Back, Election Day 2009

Looking Back

The enormity of what happened on November 4, 2009 didn’t hit me until the middle of the night as I sat on a couch downloading my photographs at the home of my friend Denise Keim. Days later, back home in Texas, I felt the change that was coming and felt the wheels of time preparing to engage. In Chicago, though, all of my emotions were buried as I did my work.

I arrived on the Thursday before the election to get a feel for the place and I began taking pictures. I photographed the stillness in the energy of the city as Chicago waited with bated breath. I continued doing my work until just after Election Day. The euphoria and the
wonder of those few days surrounding Obama’s election was a wonderful thing to see.

“I couldn’t stop crying.” I would hear or see this over and over again from one conversation to another with friends who called or text from all over the world. Change is a feisty thing that moves within its own time frame.

People were feeling hope and wanted the “Change” immediately after the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States. It was a special time in history for all Americans and the rest of the world. History will have an interesting time looking back and when it does – I believe that it will feel good about what happened inside those days. And the beat moves on.

Eli Reed

“Lost Boys to Hollywood”

“This show started with a phone call in 2001 from filmmaker Christopher Quinn asking me to accompany him with his film crew to the Kakuma UN refugee camp in northern Kenya, Africa. We met while working on a feature movie production in New York City. We worked together on the camera crew.

“This show is a dark reality of pain and suffering in a place existing on the other side of the world. They stand next to images made from my time working on Hollywood movies. These are two disparate points on the globe and they have come together here on the walls of the Perfect Exposure Gallery in Los Angeles.
“Hollywood creates the existence of a world that delivers a theatrical appearance of reality. Hollywood and its cast of characters that make up the film industry have a huge voice and the ability to expose different truths and provide a level of understanding about people, places and ideas. This ability both entertains us and can make us think and react as well in interesting ways that adds light and life to society. “It may be said in our present world’s distant future that the primary prevailing art form of this period of time may come from films both fictional and documentary. The past had artists such as DaVinci. Monet, Picasso, and even Norman Rockwell to inspire and lead us to a better place. From paint to film to digital and always in search of the story that brings light into the dark corners. “I had hoped that the photographs in this show would hopefully tell a story that would lead the viewer to walk inside places that they would otherwise never be able to see or know about. Capturing souls and stories that need telling offer opportunities to open our hearts.

“In my own way, I want to provide financial help for a medical clinic in Southern Sudan started by one of the Lost Boys who came to the USA in 2001. John Bul Dau did not forget his people. He was a leader then and he is a leader now. He started a foundation to help his people. It is my desire to raise money from the sale of my prints to help in this just cause. “Christopher Quinn’s invitation brought me to a particular place and to a awareness of people from Sudan who inspired me and whose plight demanded a commitment to show their dilemma.”

— Eli Reed, April 2008

The above text was written in 2008. I was hoping for an out pouring of positive movement coming out of the exhibit. Not much happened then but I believe progress is a slow walk to somewhere and I intend to be there when it arrives. The Lost Boys took a ‘Leap of Faith” to survive the horrors that most people cannot imagine. I will always believe that the glass is half full.

--- Eli Reed, June 15, 2010

Eli Reed

It's about time!

"New Zealand is waiting"

And so am I! Resistance is bad.

I am sleepy, tired, and yet -- not able to sleep. Everyone else on this flight from Los Angeles is sleeping. Have to experience it before IT isn't an option anymore which means that I might soon join my Afro-American ancestors.

It finally came -- and left quickly not forgetting to leave me with a dank headache. Dank and ugly from the dark side. That was in it's own way a teaser. The flight was running late. I hate that part of flying. The unknown part of 'next flight' maybe or the rush rush sweat of running to see a door closed in the face. I was lucky. They found me at the re-entry security site and the nice man passed the word along that I was coming along quite nicely. I made it and the flight attendants welcomed me with smiles and bottled water as I melted into my seat after stowing the luggage.

There was a long darkness. I finally was able to drop off for a few minutes on this last leg of the trip. I awoke and was happy. I looked out of the window to see God's countryside hangout. It was believable beauty that transcended my expectations. Once again it is said, woe to those attempting to describe the indescribable to the great unwashed. I am human and I needed this trip. NZ did not fail me.

Words sometimes do fail in a grandiose way -- but thanks anyway Andrea Bocelli.

Ready Z Plus One

Getting Ready

Any day now,

I will hear the gentle rain.

Knowing that it wants to feel rough sometimes.

That's cool.

It's just vacation.

We are not there yet.

Eli Reed

Test on Blogging

I head for New Zealand next week. This is an attempt to get with the program sending out photographs and video during my time there. Every day I will try to send out into cyberville one poem, one photograph, one video.