Barrett - Chapter 4 Reading Assignment

Perhaps one of the most interesting parts of this reading was in the opening paragraph. Photography is stated to be a form of both art and science. I believe I find this most interesting because of how truthful it really is, and how much photography is sometimes overlooked. When you think of photography, you think of art, right away, no question. Not many people think of science. Which is what Barrett's main argument in chapter four revolves around.

What also intrigues me about Barrett's writings is the five characteristics that John Szarkowski considers unique to photography: the thing itself, the detail, the frame, time, and vantage points. These characteristics are what makeup photography and why it is unique. Onto of these categories, Barrett than breaks photography up into three more categories; descriptive, explanatory, and interpretive. What I find most interesting about photography being broken up into categories, is that most of the time, people really over look photography and it's beauty, and don't even realize how important and interpretive it is to our daily life. When I think of photography, I think of so many different aspects that make each photo unique, which is exactly what Barrett speaks about all about in his writings.