Stone Ray is a photographer born and raised in central Georgia. They graduated from Georgia State University with a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts with a concentration in Photography. Stone currently lives in Alpharetta, Georgia, working as a drafter and doing graphic design and photography commissioning.
During their undergrad at Columbus State University, they worked at the student-run college newspaper, holding several positions over two years, from a staff photographer to the layout editor, eventually holding the Editor-in-Chief position before transferring to Georgia State University. During their time as Layout Editor and Editor-in-Chief, the magazine was nominated for an Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker Award, winning in 2018 while working as the Layout Editor.
While attending their undergrad at Georgia State University, Stone spent their time working with the student organization ExLucis Photo Club, eventually acting as club president during the 2021-2022 academic year before graduating. Additionally, while attending GSU, Stone collaborated with California College of the Arts (CCA) and Georgia State University. In this collaboration, students from opposite sides of the country team up in pairs and discuss their bodies of work and how they relate. Stone was chosen as part of the group to represent one of four students from GSU to have an online discussion about the works made by each college's collection of students.
Stone's Senior Thesis was a collection of photographs made during their undergrad. It was printed using print-making methods and hand-sewn into a 10x10 book. The photographs used for the book were a collection of photos made while traveling across Georgia. Stone would live in their car and drive hundreds of miles on backroads through rural towns in Georgia for a week or so. Subjects included abandoned houses, hotels, buildings, and roadside ephemera. The goal throughout the project was to document, memorialize, and honor forgotten items and spaces. Inspired by the likes of Alec Soth, William Eggleston, William Christenberry, and Bernd and Hill Becher, Stone wants to capture the aesthetic and emotion of places similar to where they grew up.