Recently, I read a fascinating article on Medium, called “4 Ideas from the Photographic Writings of Roland Barthes.”

Roland Barthes (1912-1980) was a French literary theorist, philosopher, critic, linguist, and semiotician (the study of meaning making). For photographers, he is best known for the classic book, Camera Lucida (download pdf here), from which some of the ideas in this article are taken.

I was particularly struck by the topic of the messages in photographs, which Barthes breaks down to:
 

Denoted messages – the objective content of the photograph, the visual information present that is generally agreed upon by everyone.

 
For example, the photograph above is from the New York Public Library’s digital collection. They’ve made thousands of photographs available to use for free. This one is from the collection of photographs commissioned by the Farm Security Administration in the 1930’s. It’s called “Roadside Sandwich Shop, Pontchatoula, Louisiana (1936)” and is by Walker Evans.

What I see: a large building, fronted by “George’s Place.” There are many rectangular signs, announcing sandwiches, oysters, ice cream, and Coca Cola. There are bunches of bananas hanging, and what looks like loaves of bread on an outdoor shelf. Several round baskets line the lower portion of the photograph, overflowing onto the ground with what looks like apples. This and the large trees without leaves indicate that the season is late fall or winter. The sunlight is bright and probably late afternoon. There is a man in a white apron, leaning one arm casually on the counter and one arm on his hip, with one foot crossed over the other. There is laundry hanging behind the shop.
 

Connoted Messages – the subjective messages or the meaning that we add to a photograph.

 
What associations come to mind when you look at the photograph? Often, these will be triggered by your own personal experiences.

I’m speculating that the man in the apron is George and that business is slow, since there are no other people around. It seems that his place is much more than a sandwich shop. He’s branched out to include oysters, ice cream, apples, bananas and bread. It looks like it was a good year for apples as there are many overflowing baskets. George is barely seen in this photograph, outshone as he is by all of those signs. It could be desperate times for George if this shop provides his livelihood, yet his casual stance suggests he’s not too worried. I’m curious about his situation.
 

The punctum – this is a very important element that contributes greatly to how a photograph is perceived.

The punctum is an unexpected detail in certain photographs that affects us on a personal level. It catches us off guard, eliciting an instant, visceral response. The punctum cannot be anticipated by the photographer and is rarely shared among viewers.

It’s not something shocking, rather it sneaks in; it’s surprising and not easily articulated. The punctum varies among viewers based on their own experience, conscious or not. It’s that detail that has particular poignancy for you.

The punctum for me in this photograph is the man. I didn’t see him at first; he blended into the background, so when I did it was surprising. I liked his casual stance. He seems comfortable and at home, the king of his castle. The photograph wouldn’t have the same poignancy without him.

This is a good exercise to do for any photograph, your own or others. It’s a way of getting clear on the message, distinguishing the facts from the meaning we bring to the viewing. It’s the type of exercise we will be doing in the visual journalling workshop, Once Upon a Time: Photographs have Stories to Tell, which starts on February 1st. I do hope you’ll consider joining us. There are 11 spots left.
 

What else do you see and what is the punctum for you?