Her mother was with the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) based out of Tucson, during World War II.
She attended Grant High School (Los Angeles) in Valley Glen, California and was one of the first female students to take a photography class which led to her interest in becoming a professional photographer.
After high school, Marcia applied to the prestigious Art Center College of Design and was one of the first women accepted into the Photography Program to graduate.
By March 2, 1973, Reed had her first movie assignment working on the set of the film Rhinoceros, starring Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel.
She has worked on more than fifty motion pictures [5] including: Leap of Faith (1992), LA Story (1991), Paradise (1991), Another You (1991), Maniac Cop 2 (1990), Turner & Hooch (1989), Pink Cadillac (1989), The Dead Pool (1988), Bird (1998), The Seventh Sign (1988), Back to the Beach (1987), Heartbreak Ridge (1986), Ratboy (1986), Pale Rider (1985), Get Crazy (1983), Kiss Me Goodbye (1982), Endangered Species (1982), Heartbeeps (1981), Ordinary People (1980), The Muppet Movie (1979), Comes a Horseman (1978), The Gauntlet (1977), The Enforcer (1976), The Last Tycoon (1976) and Rhinoceros (1974).