After reading Professor Bergman's comment suggesting that I compare photojournalistic photography to the kind of photography done by artists like Thomas Neff, I decided it would make a perfect blog topic! Walking down the streets in the city everyday we see photographs on newspapers and magazines, and at home we see images on TV and the internet. Every image we see impacts us in a different way. I found two similar images of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, one by Thomas Neff and the other by David J.

On a break between classes the other day, I met up with a few friends in Madison Square Park. While walking along observing all of the different people and hearing the mumbled chatter of hundreds of conversations, I saw a golden retriever laying on the ground. As I followed the dog's leash up to the hand of his owner, I noticed that in the man's lap was a large piece of canvas and scattered around him were various painting supplies. I noticed that the painting was a self-portrait which displayed both the painter and his dog just as they appeared at that moment.

I felt so grateful to have had the opportunity to hear Thomas Neff speak about his experiences as a photographer and to see all of the work he did to capture the images of the people affected by the devastating Hurricane Katrina. I could write and write about numerous aspects of the presentations and elaborate on the many different thoughts I had while listening to Neff speak, but I think that the most important detail to take out of this presentation is to understand his approach.

After reading "Photography's Discursive Spaces," I was incredibly frustrated. The author's use of  comparisons between photography and painting and scientific versus aesthetic made it difficult for me to see her point of view. I think that the act of comparison within the art world is a huge problem. Comparison seems to open the door for the potential to make the assumption that all art is on the same level for every person and therefore a comparison between photography and painting is no different than a comparison between architecture and music.

Visiting the International Center of Photography was incredibly exciting for me because of my love for photography. I had trouble, however, with the questions about each photograph's meaning. I recalled what I read in Camera Lucida about Barthes' "desperate resistance to any reductive system." I do intellectually understand "how" to interpret a photograph, but I don't always feel that analyzing and dissecting each image is a beneficial or necessary process.