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.

Neff made it clear at the beginning of his presentation and mentioned consistently throughout that he is not a reporter. He said he has the highest respect for reporters and photojournalists, but the way he uses photography is different. He recognized that the common trend with photographers in New Orleans after Katrina was to photograph devastation and destruction. Of course, because these photographs had the "shock value" that is necessary within the media. This is not to say that Neff's photographs lacked the ability to shock, but the way these images touched me was far different than the way any other photograph of the aftermath of Katrina has impacted me.

Neff's choice to focus on the people, the "holdouts" made his photographs powerful in a different way. His choice of subjects made the story behind the image all the more important. I think his images triggered a desire for viewers to ask "who is/was this person?," "how did they suffer?," "how can they be helped?," and so on. To refer, again, to Barthes, I think these photographs had more "punctum," or at least the ability to stay with the viewer much longer and on a far more emotional level. As I viewed each projected image, I was constantly drawn to the faces of these people, something about each individual expression struck me. Even the people who were smiling still left me feeling their pain and their suffering. The way that Neff portrayed each person was so natural, so real that I felt like I was looking in the eyes of each person on a truly intimate and connected level.

This intimacy between the person embodied in the image and the viewer, I think, is because of Neff's choice to use an old-fashioned box camera. He spoke about how he was able to stand beside the camera and just naturally hold a conversation with the person he was photographing. I think that because he wasn't so invasive and imposing with a large camera in front of his face, he was really able to capture the essence of the person with which he was speaking. Barthes mentioned how the camera seemed like a gun to him and how it sort of frightened him. I think that a camera can be a threatening tool, and I think that Neff's use of a less intimidating camera takes a lot of the fear and the feeling of the necessity to pose out of photography. His thought behind the process really showed me how much a part of him photography is, and how passionate he is about the art form.

After Neff's presentation, I was able to speak with him for a little while, and I found it incredibly helpful to get his perspective on how to approach photography. I asked him about getting comfortable photographing people without feeling too intrusive. He said that it's really a matter of experience and being confident in your ability to take a good picture the way you want to. He also said that it's important to occasionally just drop everything else and just go out and take photographs without distraction so that you can really get into what you're doing and feel more natural. Also, he refferred to a quote he mentioned during his presentation, "a good photographer gives, while a bad photographer takes," and said that if you do photograph someone and they ask about it always offer them a copy of the photo. In photography, I think, it's important to respect those around you, but also to test the limits a little bit in order to really allow yourself to be part of the photographs you take.

This was an excellent event. I usually have a difficult time of staying alert when listening to speakers at events like this one, but I found it almost effortless to stay attentive while Neff was speaking. It is important to me to hear the experiences and perspectives of a person in a field which I may someday be a part of. I really appreciated the insight given by Neff, and now I am strongly considering making a trip to his display at CSI so that I can experience his works in person.