STUDIUM AND PUNCTUM IN EVERDAY PHOTOGRAPHY
EVERYDAY PHOTOGRAPHY
To collect photograph is like to collect the
world (Sontang Susan (2006)), Casual/Everyday photography is a term that was
rather self-generated and not put forward by someone. Casual photography
can be pursued by anyone who has a device to capture a photo, this process had
begun rather ages ago when the first affordable 35 mm roll was invented to take
still pictures. The photo below portrays a casual picture, this
photo was taken by me during a trip to New Zealand.
The cute dog in this photo is lula and this
photo
was taken without any motive
PUNCTUM AND STUDIUM
The distinction between Studium and punctum is “the order of liking, not loving” (Barthes 1981a:27). Puntum and stadium was proposed by a Roland Barthes a French literacy theorist, he put forward his idea in a book named 'Camera Lucida' which was published by Hill & Wang. The difference between puncture and stadium can be compared to the difference between interest and passion. Barthes in his book stated that studium is "Enthusiastic commitment" for a picture, the viewer of the photo enjoys the photo but not at a deeper level, the photo simply does not draw viewers towards it. Puncture is a sense of 'change', it tends to connect to the viewers at a deeper level. It unexpectedly intrigues the person that is viewing the picture, the photo does not rely on the interest of its viewer's because it is so strong that it tends to stand on its own. Movie Billboards and posters are an example of punctum in everyday life, movie producers use punctum to bring in a large audience and draw their attention.The basics of punctum and stadium is elaborately discussed in the video below.
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF THE PHOTO IS PUNTCUM OR STUDIUM ?
What makes this picture interesting? Why do i care? These
questions are slowly answered by looking deeply into what interest you as a
person and figuring out why with the help of punctum and stadium.I have an
interest in art thus when i see a picture that is in the genre of art it
automatically spikes an interest to me. When people look at a picture of their
interest it is most likely that photo is a punctum to them but this is a false
understanding. Photos which are punctum do not rely on the person interest, at
one glance it should have the ability to pierce the viewer and. A punctum photo
has its own persona and demands the attention of the viewer, while a studium is
the opposite of that. Bathers called studium 'a kind of education (civility,
politeness) that allow discovery of the operator'. Have you ever wondered why
you are drawn to a newspaper ads that have items on sale ? This
is technique used by sellers to draw your attention and thus creating a
punctum ad.
Roland Bathers categorised puntcum into three factors -
PUNCTUM EXAMPLE
The picture above is called 'The vulture and the little girl',
taken by Kevin Carter a South African photojournalist who was on a
assignment to Sudan.The picture is of a heart-wrenching girl trying to make it
to the UN camp for food supplies, As and when Kevin carter saw this girl a
vulture flew behind the girl. Kevin waited a good amount for the vulture
to get close to the girl so that he can take the perfect shot. This
picture can have many interpretations but at one glance it portrays a
strong message that spikes interest in out mind.
STUDIUM EXAMPLE
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