Studium and Punctum

In his book Camera Lucida, Roland Barthes posits the idea that a truly dynamic photograph can be said to having two main elements: studium and punctum.

Studium is that element with which the viewer is initially drawn; the composition, the colour or the lighting. It by no means makes a great photograph on its own, requiring the second element, the punctum to elevate the photograph to a higher level. The punctum is the aspect that makes the viewer have an emotional reaction to the photograph. It is not necessarily a physical component but rather, something more intangible. Punctum will vary from one viewer to another and may even be the case that for many, there is no punctum at all.

In his photograph of a blacksmith in Old Delhi, David duChemin highlights the punctum wonderfully, which for me, is in the eyes and the the pose. The blacksmith, in his lowly surroundings, barefoot and in tattered, dirty clothes, gazes at the viewer. duChemin said that he spoke no Hindi and the blacksmith spoke no English and yet, duChemin manages to capture a connection between the two of them. I can't even begin to imagine the unbearable heat of a forge in Old Delhi and the backbreaking work the blacksmith would have undertaken to earn a meager wage.

If I'm ever having a bad day, when the washing machine has broken down or I simply can't decide on what wallpaper I want for my spare room, I'll think of this blacksmith's eyes and his body language and give thanks that photographers like duChemin are informing me of a world outside of my comfortable Western bubble.