Gregory Rec got his first camera as a Christmas present at age 14 and taught himself photography through his teenage years. At age 22, he began his photojournalism career at a group of weekly newspapers in Connecticut. He went on to study journalism and Spanish at the University of Montana and began working for the Portland Press Herald in 1997.

In his 11 years at the Press Herald, Rec has worked on stories throughout Maine and has also traveled extensively for the paper. In 2004, Rec traveled twice to Iraq for the Press Herald to document a Maine National Guard unit stationed there. He has won awards for his work from the National Press Photographers Association, the New England Associated Press News Executives Association, the New England Newspaper Association and the Maine Press Association, including being named Journalist of the Year along with Columnist Bill Nemitz in 2004 for their work in Iraq. This November, Rec was named Master Photographer by the New England Society of Newspaper Editors, an award given annualy to only one photojournalist from New England. He lives in Kennebunk with his wife and two children.