Photography - Barthes

      The Barthes reading made some very interesting points and arguments. First, I noted that in chapter 6 Bathes says “photographs come from the world to me.” This made me think about Berger and the discussion of reproductions. Because there are so many reproductions, art has become much more accessible. But, as we noted in the Berger piece and again in the Illuminations piece, reproductions lack something the original has.

      Secondly, I found the discussion of adventure very interesting. Barthes says, “I should like to know what there is in it that sets me off” (speaking of a photograph). He/she makes the point that adventure can, at least temporarily, denote the attraction certain photographs have upon one.

      Thirdly, I found yet again, another reference to a “sign” similar to the Semiotics and Art History reading. “They drift between the shores of perception, between sign and image, without ever approaching either.”

      Finally, in chapter 10, I found the argument made about the themes of photography very intriguing. Barthes divides Photography into two themes: studium and punctum. Studium means application to a thing, taste for someone, or a kind of general enthusiastic commitment. Here Barthes brings in the idea of culture a lot. The second element is described in a very sharp language. Words like: “rises”, “shoots”, “pierces” all sound harsh. This is because the second element will disturb the first and which Barthes describes as “that accident which pricks me.”

One question I have about this piece is, why is Photography always capitalized?