Bio

Michaela Foreman, Wisconsin. USA Michaela Foreman was an urban-based computer programmer, project manager and entrepreneur before moving to rural Wisconsin to become a farmer. For the past seven years, Foreman’s photography has evolved along with her experiences as a new agriculturalist. From chronicling day-to-day farm life capturing her euphoric new world, she records images that evoke the often brutal and isolated conditions of being a farmer in a rural community during a Wisconsin winter. Foreman’s latest series of photographs pointedly captures the environmental extremes and resultant impact on the landscape; a world devoid of color and warmth. These stark images are offset by what Foreman describes as farm treasures, which she has collected over time. Foreman sought out to establish the interconnected life of the farm coupled with the exhilaration of being outside; the human need to find beauty even in the worst of conditions. By daily working with horses and other animals, Foreman embraces their stoicism toward inclement weather, capturing their intimate moments. More importantly, these images are an homage to farmers who rise early to tend to their crops and animals no matter the weather, whose fortitude and stamina carry them through another lonely winter day. With that harsh lonely reality come moments of pure beauty. A shaft of light through an old barn window. Barn lights on fresh snow. Beauty, brutality, life and death, loneliness and hard work, Foreman wishes to highlight the rural community of workers that live life very much in the shadows. I have a Fuji SX10 camera with two lenses, one macro. All my photography occurs outside which I prefer unless I find farm treasures that I can shoot with my macro. I have a small studio box that is perfect for this process. Once I’ve taken a series of shots I edit them using Adobe Lightroom adjusting size and where necessary applying any filters. I am currently working on a project to capture portraits of the rural community. In particular the aging workforce whose skills and processes are a dying art. I’m driven to do this not only to capture the work and life of these hard working people but also to record their work for their families and friends. Donny the 88 year old farmer who still cuts corn by hand. Barb the 70 year old sheep farmer who rides her reining horses and tends to her farm single handed. It's a small thank you for a lifetime of very hard work. Awards and Recognition Julia Margaret Cameron Awards - Category Winner (Animals) 2024, Honorable Mention - 2022, 2023, 2024 FotoNostrum Exhibition, Barcelona, Spain - 2022 Pollux Awards - Honorable Mention - 2022 International Photo Awards - Official Selection (People/Portraits) 2022, Honorable Mention (Nature/Landscape), One Shot Color Awards (Nature) Black and White Magazine - December 2022, Issue 156 World Of Photography Book - 2023 Fotonostrum Photography Magazine - 2022, 2023, 2024 SEC Center of Photography- Portrait Exhibition 2022, 2023 London International Creative Competition - Official Selection 2024 Divide Magazine, Issue 15 - 2025 Tokyo Photo Awards - Honorable mention, 2025