Call me Ishmael

Hello. My name is Jeff Reich and I have been a priest in the Episcopal Church (Anglican) for the past two decades… before that I was a greenskeeper.  I have served Saint John’s Episcopal Church in Laurel, MS since 2008, and call Laurel, MS home along with Catharine, my wife, and our three children. 

My love for photography and videography began as a child, and I have picked up and put down the camera many times in my life. When the COVID pandemic hit, it had serious implications for my vocation. No longer could I visit the sick and shut-in, the government shut down churches, and for someone whose job is to love people and serve them, it was a dark time.  I once again picked up my camera, but this time it was to provide live-streamed masses and devotional videos. During this time, being so distant from people, I felt like I was drifting away.  To combat depression, I challenged myself to take and post one photo a day to Instagram- and the photos had to show God’s grace, light, or beauty.  I also realized that these things were best shown through people, so I began to study portraiture.  I also developed an interest in conceptual projects surrounding issues that our youth face today, as well as recreating images from Bible stories. Somewhere along the way, people starting asking if they could purchase prints or hire me to take photographs for them, but photography for me is a spiritual outlet and discipline, and the idea of accepting money for work could somehow take away what I love and need from photography. So, when people started insisting on paying, I channeled all of the proceeds above the cost of printing into a fund that is owned by my parish and is exclusively used to feed the hungry, care for the poor and downcast, and provide relief for families that are in serious trouble (traditionally called alms for the poor).  Most all of the photographs on this site are available for sale (again- any money above cost will be used as alms and the money given is considered a charitable donation). 

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you find grace and light and beauty in these images.