Life Through the Lens of Jay Stock

Hall of Fame football coach Vince Lombardi once said something that perfectly describes how Jay Stock approaches his photography: “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence.”

In his 62-year career, Jay Stock of Martins Ferry, OH, has amassed more awards and decorations for his inspiring work than most any other photographer. He finds the extraordinary in ordinary people, places and things. Jay has the unique honor of being the first photographer ever to have his images exhibited at the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. He is also one of the few living members of the Photographic Hall of Fame. Jay has been awarded both the Master of Photography and the Photographic Craftsman degrees from the PPA. He is a fellow of the American Society of Professional Photographers and also of the British Institute of
Professional Photography.

Jay was the premier recipient of the ASP International Award, which recognizes individuals whose work has made the greatest contribution to the field of photography on international, historical and professional levels. Jay also won the Steuben Crystal Apple Award from Eastman Kodak in appreciation and recognition for his continuous involvement in significant photographic education. He is a seven-time recipient of the Breckon Memorial Award and four-time recipient of Ohio Professional Photographer of the Year.

Jay has spent a good many years lecturing and teaching workshops and seminars throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan and other foreign nations. He has also taught and lectured at various schools and galleries including Syracuse University, Rochester Institute of Technology and the Chalon sur Soane of France. He is a prolific author and his articles and images have been published in leading photography magazines and books.
Jay has worked hard to perfect his craft and overcame great odds to become a success. Although he had been interested in painting and drawing since high school, he did not start taking pictures until he was in the military during World War II.

“I got out of the service after World War II, came home, got married and got a job working in the Ohio coal mines. I soon realized that I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life slaving in a coal mine, so I got into photography,” Jay says. The state of Ohio gave a $400 bonus to all veterans, so I used that as a down payment for $1200 worth of photography equipment. I opened my business in my home and the kitchen became my darkroom.

“Soon, I discovered that I couldn’t earn enough money working out of the home because I wanted to create art, not just take pictures. So, I had to go back to the coal mines to subsidize my income. Later, I realized I needed to go to photography school if I really wanted to be successful, so I used the GI Bill of Rights to attend the Progressive School of Photography in New Haven, CT. My wife and children stayed home and she got all the money from the military while I was in school. If I wanted extra cash to buy anything, I had to sell my blood. People nowadays don’t know what hard times are really about or what people had to endure to do what they wanted in life. I couldn’t even go home for Christmas because I didn’t have enough cash for bus fare,” Jay explains.

After Jay graduated from photo school, he returned to Ohio and once again opened a storefront studio. He also had to return to the coal mines, as well as work for the railroad, to supplement his income. His wife, Julia Mae, ran the business, answered the phone and took appointments. For 14 years, Jay alternated between the coal mines and the railroad while trying to establish his studio. Fifty years ago, he built a home studio and it “took off like a shot,” he says and suddenly he no longer had to do hard labor to raise extra cash. These days, he is still living in the same location and using his studio for personal projects, but he no longer books clients. He does no digital work. Everything he shoots is film and he prefers it that way.

Over the past six decades, many galleries, art museums and various other venues and organizations have held exhibitions of Jay Stock’s fine art photography. “Faces of Today’s American Indians” was presented to the United States government in November 1975 at a ceremony held in the Jacqueline Kennedy Rose Garden of the White House. His other bodies of work that have been exhibited through the years include: “Mountain People of Georgia,” “Coal Miners of South Wales” and “Eskimos of the Artic” as well as photos of the Amish (both in Ohio and Pennsylvania), land and seascape photography from all over the world, “Steel Industry,” (working and non-working plants), “Coal Industry-Strip and Deep Mining,” “Peanut Farmers of Georgia,” “Fishing Industry in Maine,” “Easy Riders Harley Motorcycle Festival,” “Prison Documentations,” and many more. In May 2008 his “Masters of the Blues,” a photo essay of the Heritage Music BluesFest, which is held in Heritage Port in downtown Wheeling, WV, each August was exhibited at the Ohio University, Eastern campus.

Jay also spends a lot of time and energy working with charitable organizations, like Easter Seals, Star Kids Program (which provides help to children at risk), Images of Hurricane Katrina (for daycare centers and health departments in New Orleans), and others too numerous to mention. “I encourage photographers to get involved in their own towns with exhibits and charity work because it only increases their visibility and gives back to the community,” Jay says. “Usually, I do four to six exhibits annually. Every time I come up with a new idea for prints, I do a show. Shoot, shoot…exhibit, exhibit continually.”

Jay also gets exposure and earns steady income from his images by leasing photographs to large corporations and local businesses for decoration. Companies lease his fine art photographs for a year and, because it’s tax deductible for the businesses, it works out for all parties.   

Thanks to the efforts of Alessandro Baccari of San Francisco, an award-winning photographer himself and long-time friend of Jay’s; and Wayne and Shirley Haub, co-owners of H&H Color Lab in Raytown, MO, Jay Stock’s latest exhibition will debut at the 2009 WPPI Convention in Las Vegas in February.

Alessandro selected 100 images—50 black-and-white and 50 in color—that showcase Jay’s work from 1946 to the present. People will be dazzled with the variety of subjects Alessandro chose for this exhibits; coal miners, ballet dancers, prostitutes, prisoners, funerals, children, Native Americans, Amish and landscapes, just to mention a few.
“Unlike painters or sculptors, who begin with a blank canvas or piece of clay, photographers look through the viewfinder and there’s reality!” Alessandro explains. “A photographer’s gift must be how to see that reality and render it into something that captures viewers’ emotions, imaginations and thoughts… whether it be a leaf, a landscape, a person or flower. Photographers have only one little frame to make an impact and tell a story.

“I believe Jay’s photography is a reminder of the continuing wonderment of creative vision. He’s still taking pictures at 85 years of age, so Jay is deeply committed to his craft. I want people to see the preparation and dedication Jay puts into his work, which is the cornerstone of excellence. The drama and excitement brought into focus through the planned use of light, composition and design. Each image has a theme, which has been carefully choreographed for balance and design,” Alessandro says.
Although Jay Stock is an exceptional darkroom technician and prints his own negatives, he still believes in having a close relationship with a professional lab. Throughout much of his long career, he has used H&H Color Lab and has been very satisfied with the results. It was only natural for Alessandro to also use H&H to print the images for this latest exhibit.

“Jay is an excellent printer from the old school of darkroom printing,” Alessandro says. “The majority of photographers today shoot digital work and print on their printers. But I think it’s important to work with a professional lab because the shooter is the composer and the lab becomes the conductor of the score, so the work is produced as a team. I was able to send in a print to H&H and tell them what areas I wanted lighter or darker and they’d follow my instructions and get it right every time,” Alessandro says.   

Jay Stock still prints in his personal darkroom three to four days a week and continues to photograph on a regular basis. He has no plans to slow down any time soon! Alessandro is also quite active for his 80 years and is writing three books at the present time, titled The History of North Beach, The Fathers My Father Gave Me, and Nonni and Me (nonni is Alessandro’s nickname for his grandmother). Both men treasure their decades-long friendship and continue supporting and encouraging each other often.

Readers may contact Alessandro Baccari via email at [email protected] to learn more about the exhibit or to book it for a future date. Readers may view Jay Stock’s images at www.jaystock.com and contact Wayne and Shirley Haub at H&H Color Lab at (800) 821-1305.

Linda L. May is a freelance writer/photographer based in Fort Dodge, IA.