Tom Stone (photographer)
Encyclopedia
Tom Stone is an American photographer. His work depicts the discrepancy between the American dream and the American reality, clearly captured through the telling faces of those living on the fringes of society. He is most widely known for his documentary photography of outsider, displaced and homeless populations in California
.
Stone describes his work as photography that’s “about increasing the pool of people who are focused on making lives better in their own cities and towns.”
traveling to Puerto Ángel
in Oaxaca
, Mexico
, Tom Stone spent his earliest years with his mother, Raya Ra, and father, Tony Washington, who is said to have abused her. After his mother began to fear for his safety, she took her son and fled—first “sleeping in bushes in wealthy L.A. neighborhoods” and eventually finding solace with the famed Source Family.
Given the Aquarian name Sound by Father Yod, Stone and his mother (renamed Astral) would spend the next three years with Source family in Hawaii, living happily until the spiritual community dispersed. Until he was 12 Stone lived with Astral and her long-term boyfriend, Djin Aquarian (lead guitarist of Yahowha 13), moving from Hawaii to L.A. to Seattle and back to L.A, where the three spent months living in a van on the streets of Venice.
Always encouraging him to develop his creative talents, his mother home-schooled Stone until she decided to break with Djin for a more “stationary” life for her young son. With his grandfather financing his formal education, Stone enrolled in the 7th grade at the Highland Hall Waldorf School
. He continued his creative pursuits, producing art in various mediums including acrylic paintings and watercolor. His interest piqued by the musicals and plays he did while attending high school at Harvard-Westlake School
in North Hollywood, CA, Stone branched out to creative writing and film during his college years at Harvard University
in Cambridge, MA.
After graduating Harvard with a degree in Computer Science, Stone was a financial analyst at Morgan Stanley
. He worked first in the company’s Health Care Group and subsequently in its Technology Group during Frank Quattrone
's tenure and thereafter. Notably, he took flash memory maker Sandisk
public (IPO). He was also CFO at Autoweb.com and Reply! Inc.
Stone stayed true to his artistic passions after college, spending time doing documentary video work. While creating videos, Stone grew interested in documenting the gripping stories of street kids, and he began his still photography “as a research tool for that.” What began as an aid for another medium has since become Stone’s life work of intimate portraits of society’s readily forgotten.
Stone’s work has been shown in numerous galleries and events including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Artist's Gallery. His photographs are quickly gaining attention for America’s homeless and suffering populations, and such attention all but demands that viewers positively impact the lives of homeless persons in their own cities.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Stone's Photography
Since late 2005, Tom Stone’s documentary photography has been capturing the often desperate, sometimes surprising, reality of homeless and impoverished Americans. Striving to present people at “some sort of core,” Stone’s work spares viewers nothing of the subject’s situation—be it the frantic sadness in awaken!, the addict’s unwavering focus in beavis, or the contrast of youthful beauty and yesterday’s soil in sadie. His ever-growing gallery raises the question, what separates them from us; what lets us ignore the depth of poverty in the world?Stone describes his work as photography that’s “about increasing the pool of people who are focused on making lives better in their own cities and towns.”
Biography
Born in a Pullman compartment on a train outside Mexico CityMexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
traveling to Puerto Ángel
Puerto Ángel
Puerto Ángel is a small coastal town in the Mexican state of Oaxaca located in the municipality of San Pedro Pochutla. It, along with San Agustinillo and Playa Zipolite are known as the "Riviera Oaxaqueña. It is located 9 km south of city of Pochutla fifty km west of Huatulco and eighty km...
in Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Tom Stone spent his earliest years with his mother, Raya Ra, and father, Tony Washington, who is said to have abused her. After his mother began to fear for his safety, she took her son and fled—first “sleeping in bushes in wealthy L.A. neighborhoods” and eventually finding solace with the famed Source Family.
Given the Aquarian name Sound by Father Yod, Stone and his mother (renamed Astral) would spend the next three years with Source family in Hawaii, living happily until the spiritual community dispersed. Until he was 12 Stone lived with Astral and her long-term boyfriend, Djin Aquarian (lead guitarist of Yahowha 13), moving from Hawaii to L.A. to Seattle and back to L.A, where the three spent months living in a van on the streets of Venice.
Always encouraging him to develop his creative talents, his mother home-schooled Stone until she decided to break with Djin for a more “stationary” life for her young son. With his grandfather financing his formal education, Stone enrolled in the 7th grade at the Highland Hall Waldorf School
Highland Hall Waldorf School
Highland Hall Waldorf School is a private school in Northridge, California with a curriculum based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner and Waldorf Education. Offering classes from grades Pre-K through 12, it is recognized the oldest Waldorf school on the West Coast...
. He continued his creative pursuits, producing art in various mediums including acrylic paintings and watercolor. His interest piqued by the musicals and plays he did while attending high school at Harvard-Westlake School
Harvard-Westlake School
Harvard-Westlake School is an independent, co-educational university preparatory day school consisting of two campuses located in Los Angeles, California with approximately 1,600 students enrolled in grades 7 through 12....
in North Hollywood, CA, Stone branched out to creative writing and film during his college years at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in Cambridge, MA.
After graduating Harvard with a degree in Computer Science, Stone was a financial analyst at Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City serving a diversified group of corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals. Morgan Stanley also operates in 36 countries around the world, with over 600 offices and a workforce of over 60,000....
. He worked first in the company’s Health Care Group and subsequently in its Technology Group during Frank Quattrone
Frank Quattrone
Frank Quattrone is an American technology-focused investment banker who started technology sector franchises at Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, and Credit Suisse First Boston. He helped bring dozens of technology companies public during the 1990s tech boom, including Netscape, Cisco, and Amazon.com...
's tenure and thereafter. Notably, he took flash memory maker Sandisk
SanDisk
SanDisk Corporation is an American multinational corporation that designs, develops and manufactures data storage solutions in a range of form factors using the flash memory, controller and firmware technologies. It was founded in 1988 by Dr. Eli Harari and Sanjay Mehrotra, non-volatile memory...
public (IPO). He was also CFO at Autoweb.com and Reply! Inc.
Stone stayed true to his artistic passions after college, spending time doing documentary video work. While creating videos, Stone grew interested in documenting the gripping stories of street kids, and he began his still photography “as a research tool for that.” What began as an aid for another medium has since become Stone’s life work of intimate portraits of society’s readily forgotten.
Stone’s work has been shown in numerous galleries and events including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art...
Artist's Gallery. His photographs are quickly gaining attention for America’s homeless and suffering populations, and such attention all but demands that viewers positively impact the lives of homeless persons in their own cities.
Further reading
(Cover photograph by Tom Stone) The untold story of "Father Yod, Yahowha13 and the Source Family" by Isis and Electricity Aquarian}}External links
- Official site
- Flickr site
- Facebook Fan Page
- Interview: Soggybones Magazine (Issue 1: pp. 46-63)
- Interview: Soulpancake
- Interview: Marinscope
- Interview (Video): Comcast TV
- Downtownlife Article
- Life.com photos from Desperate housewives benefit
- Fotoglif photos from Desperate housewives benefit
- Zimbio photos from Desperate housewives benefit
- Source Family official site