Thursday’s Meet the Artist event at the MHC was more than I expected it to be. It started as a usual symposium: a guest speaker, a power point presentation, and a public. This time, the combination of the three composed an unforgettable sensation. Topic of the speech: Surviving Katrina; a subject many of us seem to forget about. A terrible hurricane that hit New Orleans in 2005 still causes misfortune for many habitants in that area.
What I liked about the artist- Thomas Neff is the fact that, as he called himself, he is a “documentarian photographer, not a journalist,” therefore his photographs are not filled with emotions, which easily grab our harts; but are simply, a way to portray an area that has been touches by a terrible catastrophe. It is similar to what we have said about the exhibition of John Wood, the pictures are suppose to educate and guide, not influence.
On the other hand, it surprised me that Mr. Neff decided to attach a written story about the subject he had taken picture of. I used to think that it is photograph that is suppose to “talk” to the audience for it is a medium that is strong enough to touch people. Longer the presentation lasted, I begun to realize why the artist decided to do what he had done. Many of his photographs, are just pictures of people in front of their houses, no emotions added. It is the stories that bring about the essence of his work. Each an every single one of them, lived through hell, and each had his/her way to battle it.

This picture for example, portrays a couple sitting in front of a bar.  One can think by looking at it, that they are just typical American lovebirds. But than things become more complicated when one begins to notice things: a bottle of wine, broses on her legs, and a grimace on his face. And finally the truth comes out when one reads the story: A man so depressed after loosing all his belongings, kills his wife and than commits a suicide.
It got me thinking: is there a way to include in a snapshot not only past and presence, but also what is about to happen? Is a picture really worth a thousand words?