Camera Lucida Response

The concepts presented in this article really resonated with me. The author demonstrates two distinct realms of reaction to a photograph that a viewer might experience; studium and punctum. In the realm of studium, the viewer may identify the photographer’s techniques used in creating the photograph, the general messages and meanings that the photographer is attempting to convey, the cultural aspects which are represented in the image, and other related “surface details.” These reactions do not hold much personal significance and do not evoke strong feelings, but rather serve as mere observations. On the other hand, in the realm of the punctum, the viewer may notice specific details of the image that the photographer did not necessarily intend to make stand out. This reaction is entirely subject to the viewer; one certain element may draw the viewer’s attention away from any other studium-based meaning, evoking intense feelings or emotions, and standing as the one thing that the viewer can remember about the photograph when no longer looking at it.

               These ideas really opened my eyes to the fact that, no matter how hard photographers try to embody certain ideas and convey specific messages to an audience, every person may react in a way that is entirely unique to them, a way that is completely out of the photographer’s control. Little details that are sometimes overlooked may have the possibility to encapsulate another viewer, to the point that the entire meaning of the image is lost and the viewer’s own reaction and the creation of their own  ideas trumps everything else. As previously stated, this makes me understand that there are some situations that are just out of the control of the photographer, and some little details included in the photograph that are simply natural to the scene, where if they were eliminated, the photo would be more curated and less authentic. What I would be interested to discuss with the class is whether or not these concepts even make a difference; if we cannot necessarily control the natural aspects of the photo that may draw the viewer’s unique attention away from the meaning, then why even take it into consideration, as the author of this article did?