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Semester B: Discourse Work
Semester B: Discourse Work
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Tuesday, 4 March 2008
In the book "Camera Lucida", author Roland Barthes goes into the reasons why we like a photograph. Claiming there are two main elements, Barthes calls them the Punctum and the Studium.
Punctum
Barthes describes the punctum as being that small detail in a photograph that draws you in. Varying from person to person, he goes on to say that the object in question is most often linked with that person in some way, whether it be a past memory or a particular interest. The connection that is made between the subject matter (or a small piece of it) and the viewer is what makes the image more memorable to them.
Studium
The studium, unlike the punctum, is when we as the viewers show a general interest for an image but our enthusiasm is not like those of the photographs we would consider our favourites. Barthes describes it simply when talking in relation to photographs and the studium when he says, “I am interested in them… I do not love them”.*
*Unknown. (2005). Right Ways: Discovering Punctum. [Online]. Available at: http://www.wrongways.com/discovering-punctum (Accessed: 4 March 2008).
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Roland Barthes
In the book "Camera Lucida", author Roland Barthes goes into the reasons why we like a photograph. Claiming there are two main elements, Barthes calls them the Punctum and the Studium.
Punctum
Barthes describes the punctum as being that small detail in a photograph that draws you in. Varying from person to person, he goes on to say that the object in question is most often linked with that person in some way, whether it be a past memory or a particular interest. The connection that is made between the subject matter (or a small piece of it) and the viewer is what makes the image more memorable to them.
Studium
The studium, unlike the punctum, is when we as the viewers show a general interest for an image but our enthusiasm is not like those of the photographs we would consider our favourites. Barthes describes it simply when talking in relation to photographs and the studium when he says, “I am interested in them… I do not love them”.*
*Unknown. (2005). Right Ways: Discovering Punctum. [Online]. Available at: http://www.wrongways.com/discovering-punctum (Accessed: 4 March 2008).
2 comments