Shaqhuer, Detroit, MI

©tom stoye

Horton Street, Detroit, MI

Pinkie is the manager and caretaker of the Michigan Urban Farm Initiative.  I met her roaming about aimlessly while the sun was making its way down to the horizon line.  I rarely use a tripod, but the sun was going to bed for the night, so I ran back to my car while I was in the act of photographing Pinkie, so I could retrieve my tripod.  A wise choice, because nearly half the photographs were blurry from shooting at such a slow shutter speed.  I definitely want to make it back again to visit her.  We had a great rapport, and she understood what it took to have her portrait taken, and was so relaxed in front of the camera.

©tom stoye

The Bone Ride

©tom stoye

This is Joe Junior who was riding his bike along with his Dad (Joe Sr) one afternoon.  I was able to flag them down to take their photograph. I took a couple frames of the two of them together, but the skeleton ride was just too cool to pass up, so in the end, this was the photograph I walked away with.

 Detroit is becoming a mecca for bike clubs, and it's custom rides like Joe's that really stand out amongst the multitude of tricked out rides you see around Detroit. With DLECTRICITY just around the corner, I'm waiting to see who rolls up with the most original ride this year. A must see event!

Maiden Street, Detroit, MI

©tom stoye

Hot Fun in the Summertime

©tom stoye

©tom stoye

©tom stoye

Post Modern Family Unit

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Kids on Their Way to a Pickup Game, Detroit

©tom stoye

I was out with a group of fellow photographers when I took this photograph of a young boy on his way to a pick-up game with his friend. They both seemed in a hurry, so I got off a few frames of each of them, and they went on their way. Encounters of this kind are plentiful, and often times uneventful, but they add fuel to the fire, while I keep looking for the next photograph. I rarely, if ever, go out with others when I want to shoot because it's so highly personal, and near impossible to get your groove on when your with a group, but I always hope for the magical in every situation.

Romondo, Eastern Market

©tom stoye

I used to think of urban farming as a passing fad that would run its course, and then lose steam once amateurs found out how difficult it was to maintain a farm, manage crop rotations and produce a crop yield.

Since the early aughts, Detroit has exploded with community gardens and urban farms. What once seemed like an idyllic hobby for dreamers, has come full circle in Detroit.

Non-profits like the Greening of Detroit, are partnering with federal and state agencies, not to mention corporations and foundations. These partnerships are funneling money into local communities in need of assistance, while educating them on environmental practices, that allow for a future where locally grown food can prosper.

Bellevue Street, Detroit

©tom stoye

Ice House Portraits, 2010

Looking back to 2010. Here are some photographs I took while working on the Ice House Project with it's creators, Greg Holm and Matthew Rodine. The house was located at 3920 McClellan Street on the cities east side. At the time, the public at large was clueless as to the whereabouts of the house. For the most part, only locals where aware of the installations address. This was cool because it tempered the hype while we were building it, and it allowed local residents who lived in the neighborhood to fully enjoy it for themselves. I made a habit of documenting some of the people who would stop by everyday; the overwhelming majority of them loved it, and would come by day after day to see it's progress. Here are a few portraits from then.

© tom stoye

© tom stoye

© tom stoye

Michelle, Goethe Street, Detroit

© tom stoye

"I don't want to come home without a photograph that's at least almost as important as dinner."
….photographer Ted Pushinky

This was a quick "drive by" shot for me.  I had been out all day and was having a very successful time of it, but I was running late for dinner with my family. What struck me about Michelle was how elegantly dressed she was, to do such a menial chore as trimming her hedges. Driving home, I was focused on getting there as quickly as possible but the dress caught my eye. Who wears such a pretty dress to do yard work? Fuck it, I guess I'm going to be late for dinner, I thought. It's easy to rationalize just one more when you're feeling it, and that day I was not only feeling it, but I was red hot.  I drove around the block again and pulled on the curb. I got out, gave her my pitch, took three pictures, and left.  I picked the first shot.  It's always the first shot with me.

Close Encounters

I met Carlos at a community farm, located on the property of a Detroit church, on the cities east side. Carlos, along with a hard working group of volunteers, were busy turning the soil at the end of the growing season. Carlos acts as a caretaker for a building that occupies the property next to the farm, and helps out church leaders by contributing to the upkeep and maintenance of the farm.

© tom stoye

Close Encounters

© tom stoye

This is Melly with his customized "trike." I met him and his friend Cordell while driving around aimlessly through an industrialized area on the cities east side. Melly and Cordell belong to the No Gas Riders, a Detroit bike club that is part of a booming social trend, where enthusiasts get together for recreational rides throughout the city.

Close Encounters

© tom stoye

A young boy I met at Eastern Market who came up to me while I was photographing a graffiti writer doing a mural just out of frame. Ironically, the streets were packed with people that night, but for some reason it appears as if you could shoot off a cannon with little or no fan fare at the time this photograph was taken. Photographs rarely tell the complete story...... intentionally or otherwise.

Close Encounters

© tom stoye

Paul is a retired teacher who used to teach agricultural science to urban youth at Catherine Ferguson Academy on the west side of Detroit. When we met, he was in the process of plowing a lot of land on what is known as Farnsworth Farms. The farm is located on the cities east side.

It's hard to fathom how much nature has reclaimed what was once the fifth largest city in the nation. There are parts of the city that are hardly recognizable anymore as block after block is being replaced by field grass and overgrown trees. People like Paul have taken it upon themselves to utilize overgrown lots and make them useful again.

Close Encounters

© tom stoye

Ms. Sue sitting relaxing on her well groomed patio.  The mural behind her is by her friend Patrick who does commissioned murals for Detroit homeowners and businesses.

Close Encounters

©tom stoye

Yakoob is a young boy who lives in Hamtramck, Michigan. I met him while photographing some kids who were volunteering there time to help out with the annual spring clean-up at a community garden in Yakoob's neighborhood. While many of his friends were diligently digging holes, and planting trees and flowers, Yakoob was proudly showing me his talents as a soccer player.

Close Encounters

©tom stoye

This is Anenia. She lives in the Oakwood Heights neighborhood of southwest Detroit. Oakwood Heights has the notorious distinction of being the most polluted zip code in the state of Michigan. Anenia has continuously lived in the same house since 1918, the year of her birth. Her house rests in the shadow of the Marathon Oil Refinery; the largest refinery in Michigan. The plant is a limitless source of excessive air pollution filled with airborne carcinogens that emit unbearable odors into neighboring communities in southwest Detroit. 

 A few years ago Marathon announced a 2.2 billion dollar expansion that prepares it for the increased production of tar sands crude oil, considered to be the dirtiest oil in the world.  Massive piles of tar sands (petroleum coke) are now being stored on property located within spitting distance of the banks of the Detroit River. The land is owned by Detroit billionaire businessman Matty Maroun. With spring rains amping up, rains will cause excessive run-off into the river itself, which have the potential to be an environmental disaster.  Local residents of the Oakwood Heights neighborhood stand to lose the most in this dying neighborhood, beaten down from a falling economy and declining home values due to their proximity to the refinery.

As part of their expansion, Marathon Oil has been actively offering homeowners generous buyouts, and then leveling homes once they are vacated. For some, especially younger dual income families, this offers the chance to relocate and start fresh. But for many elderly residents struggling to get by on social security benefits, and with limited discretionary income, it's nearly impossible to qualify for bank loans even with the settlements.  Longtime residents like Anenia, are left with few options but to take what's offered, as they watch their neighborhood being systematically leveled for the future development of the neighboring refinery. Luckily for Anenia, she has a network of friends and family that are helping make the transition as smooth as possible.

In a couple of weeks, Anenia's family will be moving her to an assisted-living community in Monroe, Michigan. It will be the first and only time she has moved  in her lifetime. At 95 years old, half-blind from glaucoma, and embarking on a drastic change in lifestyle, Anenia is surprisingly upbeat and resilient with what lies ahead.

Close Encounters

Ritchie and Romeo,  Detroit, MI  2010

Close Encounters

I met this man while traveling aimlessly across the country in my car in March of 2012.  His family owned a tired old motel on the outskirts of Abilene, Texas. They had moved from India looking for a better life in the United States, and purchased this motel while the economy was booming.  Hit hard by the current recession, the motel parking lot was practically void of any guests. Similar family-owned hotels like this one, are hurting due to the lack of discretionary income being spent by working class families looking for affordable accommodations.

Before moving to the United States, his family had owned a movie theater in India that specialized in independent "art house"films. This opened the door to a beautiful conversation about movies: something I've never had difficulty talking about. This portrait pales in comparison to the experience of having met this dear, sweet man.