Originally from the small town of Sturgis, Michigan, Tarina Reed first discovered her passion for cinematography in 1995 when she became a Combat Photographer in the United States Army Reserves.While serving fourteen years in the military she refined her handheld techniques and creative composition.

While serving fourteen years in the military she refined her handheld techniques and creative composition.  In addition, deployments to Bosnia, Egypt, and Germany prepared Tarina for capturing images in hostile conditions and diverse environments.

In 2001, Tarina received her BFA in Cinematography from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. It was in this setting that her enthusiasm for visual storytelling was enhanced through creative lighting.  Tarina’s artistic efforts as a student was rewarded on several occasions when, in 2000 she received a cinematography internship with the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and again, in 2001 when she participated in the Sixth International Student DOP Workshop.  These internships gave Tarina the opportunity to study under renowned cinematographers James Chressanthis, ASC, Laszlo Kovacs, ASC, and Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC.  

In 2004, she moved to Los Angeles to begin her career in the film industry. In five years of working in LA, Tarina has been the Director of Photography on six feature films, and numerous documentaries. She has photographed noted film stars Steve Carell, Danny DeVito, Jason Alexander (Don't Give), Danny Glover (PNOK), and Michael Madison (Cosmic Radio).

With technology constantly evolving, she has worked effortlessly between shooting 35mm film, 16mm film, and HD. Her latest feature, Solitary, was shot on the RED camera. Tarina believes the image is most powerful when it evokes an emotion, and a cinematographer must use whatever knowledge they have to bring that emotion to the screen.