 Born in Sweden from a Swedish mother and a British father, Reed started his career working three years as an assistant to photographer Mikael Jansson.In the early 1990s he opened his own studio where his clients included H&M, Swedish Social Democratic Party, Benetton Group, Hackett London, and Henry Cotton's.He developed campaigns featuring Anna Nicole Smith, marking her first appearance as a fashion model, and Pamela Anderson, also at the early stage of her career.