Beauty of a Roadside Scene Captured in 4 Seasons By D.C. Artist With Deep Mississippi Roots

Mike Ford was a film producer in the Public Relations Office at Ole Miss in 1974. In his spare time, he roamed much of north Mississippi photographing rural life, creating a treasure of images now recognized by the Library of Congress and soon to be the subject of a book.

Today Mike Ford is an award winning international documentary producer often engaged by National Geographic and the History Channel, channels recognized for their excellence.

On his first visit back “home” last year, he drove down Highway 7 from Memphis through Holly Springs on his way to Oxford. As he passed a field of wild yellow flowers, he stopped his car and photographed a Mississippi scene unrecognized by most, but seen as art by Ford. He returned to that location during four seasons to capture the beauty of a Mississippi roadside in transition.

Ford has a BFA in Photography and Film from Rochester Institute of Technology and a MS in Broadcasting and Film from Boston University. During the past year he has again roamed North Mississippi to revisit the sites he capture on film in the mid-1970s. During his visits he has lectured at Ole Miss and at the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson.

He served as an apprentice blacksmith for 4 years while he lived in Mississippi. Moving to Washington, D.C., Michael incorporated Yellow Cat productions in 1980. He is a writer, producer, director and director of photography. His award winning programs have aired nationally and internationally. He is an avid sailor and amateur historian.