Michelle T. Bernard

Owner

I am a farmer, a photographer and a writer. On any given day the order of these professions changes but my passion for the three never changes. My work is documentary in style with a fine art spin. I find myself drawn to agrarian culture both past and present but more so the past because I believe there is a lot that was lost. As Patience Gray sand in Honey from a Weed said, “once we lose touch with the spendthrift aspect of nature’s provisions epitomized in the raising of a crop, we are in danger of losing touch with life itself.” Unfortunately, in this day and age of industrialized food, we’ve all but lost touch with food and our agrarian past. Perhaps we should reconsider the wisdom of a land-based economy. In my full-time job as a photojournalist I struggle to maintain a clinical distance from my subject. I want to immerse myself in those that I meet and take a little bit of them away with me when I leave. There are so many stories to be told – so much to learn from what’s still left of the past as well as from the present. Coming into this profession late in life I’m constantly learning, growing and discovering myself through my work. We are all so much more connected than we realize and that doesn’t mean through Facebook or other social media platforms. My college education includes two Associates Degrees from Catawba Valley Community College, one in Photographic Technology and the second Fine Arts. I am currently working towards a Bachelor’s Degree at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro to work towards a Bachelor’s Degree. I am also taking courses towards a Certificate in Documentary Studies through Duke University.