We were lucky to catch up with Jeff Reeder recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jeff thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Learning is something I do every day. I never feel like the authority on anything, because there is always something new to learn, and new ways to express myself through art.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Born and raised in the western suburbs of Philadelphia. Jeff Reeder has been a resident of Chalfont, Bucks County, for the past twenty+ years, and this is where he has raised five children with his wife, Dalissa. Jeff has been an artist his whole life. Classically trained at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art, he studied painting, design, illustration, and other fine arts. Ultimately Jeff majored in photography, with the aspiration to combine what was learned from all media. While at Tyler and immediately after, Jeff started photographing events and doing portrait work. He quickly became one of the more sought after wedding/event/portrait photographers in the Philadelphia area. Jeff has also taught photography on many levels, from beginner’s classes to private adult workshops, and is currently teaching photography at the Souderton Charter School Collaborative, where he enjoys mentoring young minds interested in expressing themselves through different photographic processes. In addition to successfully running his photography company for over 30 years, Jeff has always continued creating personal fine artwork, combining photography, encaustic, and oil paint, as well as straight photographic images. He always has a camera in hand… even if it is a cell phone camera, and is constantly inspired by nature and the man-made world. His has several ongoing bodies of work which are ever evolving. So much of this can be viewed at www.jeffreeder.com.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

What drives my creative journey….. I’d have to say that creating art is like breathing. If I have no materials to make art, I make compositions in my head. My goal is to pay my bills and be able to have an eventual retirement making art and teaching. Photographing events has been a great career, but it is very physical. It is getting harder as I get older, to be on my feet for 8-10 hours or more at a time. I want to transition doing events to doing mainly creative portraiture and making fine art pieces. Since I will always be creating art, I’d love to make it available to as many people as possible to enjoy. I’d love to continue doing portrait work because a huge part of my life has been documenting other people’s lives. I understand not everyone is going to buy “art” but who does not appreciate a great documentation of their family. The most rewarding part of my journey in photography has been getting to know so many wonderful people and document their lives. At this point, i have many families that I have been documenting for as many as 30 years. They contact me every year or every few years to do family portraits, or document an event.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding thing about being an artist is the fact that I am never bored. As long as I can make art in some way, I will always have something to do and a way to express myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jeffreeder.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffreeder
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeff.reeder

Image Credits
Jeff Reeder