In his book 'Camera Lucida' Barthes talks about the 'studium' and the 'punctum'. The studium being a 'contact between creator and consumer' and the punctum being that accident which pricks me.' There are many images that I like but cannot really explain why. After reading about the punctum of a photograph it became clear to me that there does not necessarily have to be a reason behind liking or loving an image. It is simply something in that image which catches your attention and holds it there.
For example at the beginning of the year I became aware of Bill Hensons' photography and was immediately drawn to it. All of his images have the same dream like atmosphere, which referring back to the punctum, is what I think attracts me to his images. There is a freeness about them and a feeling of letting go. The lighting used adds to the drama of the photo and a whole story can be thought up just by looking at one image.
Camera Lucida, Roland Barthes
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