Roland Barthes' 'Camera Lucida' is a book of philosophical musings on photography, originally published in 1980. He coined the terms Studium and Punctum to describe the cultural meaning and personal meanings respectively.



However, he finds a problem in that in order for an audience to understand what the meaning of a photo is, they have to already be familiar with the topic and believe in the message. Therefore, a photograph with only a studium does not trigger a deep emotional connection for us. The most we can do is like or admire the image, but it won’t affect us in any kind of profound way.

So why then do some images hit us on a deeply emotional level? What constitutes a punctum, and can the photographer really control how a viewer reacts to their work?