Family, history, events, war, hope, inspiration, joy.
These are all the different themes that photography can portray. It may not be until after a photograph is taken that a person sees these themes, and years later someone looking through photos might see the photograph and see a whole new meaning in it. They may see something different in it that makes them want to research the photograph. Sometimes what one person sees in a photograph is different than what another may see. I’m sure everyone has seen a lot of photographs throughout their lives, whether they are from family photo albums, photos hung on the walls of friends’ houses or restaurants, or maybe in
museums. Wherever we have seen photographs, they represent something
different depending on the one viewing them. I have seen so many photos
throughout my life, but as I was looking through photos from my Mom’s childhood, I found one that I had never seen before. The photograph was clearly a portrait, but not one done it a studio. Thomas Carlyle, a historian, is
quoted in Photography: The Whole Story by Juliet Hacking where he argues that, “a telling portrait can only be the result of an authentic encounter
between portrayer and portrayed… (103). This portrait of my family seemed
to be an authentic photograph, which would tell me a lot about the people within
it and the time period they lived in. I began to wonder what information I
could learn from this one photograph.
I chose a family photograph of my Mom with her Mom, Dad, two sisters, and
brother. I was instantly intrigued by this photograph because I felt
that I could not only learn about my family, but also about what life was like
when my mom and her siblings were growing up. The intrigue and interest I
had in this photo is known as studium which is described by Roland Barthes in his book Camera Lucida as, “that very wide field of unconcerned desire, of various interest, of inconsequential taste: I like/ I don’t like” (27). Studium is what interested me in the photograph and what made me want to do research. To begin my research, I decided to interview my Mom. I asked her questions
specifically about what was going on in the photo, what significance it had to
her, what it was like for her growing up, the relationships with her family, and
what she thinks is different from when she was growing up to when I was growing up. Another element of photography that Barthes talks about is
punctum, which is the element of the photo that pricks you (27). It is also the element that is not intended in the photograph. In terms of my photograph, I felt that there was nothing that truly pricked me. There were interesting elements
that made me want to do research about my family, but Barthes would consider
that studium. Just because there was not any punctum in my photograph didn’t mean that I still could not research and go deeper into the photo.
These are all the different themes that photography can portray. It may not be until after a photograph is taken that a person sees these themes, and years later someone looking through photos might see the photograph and see a whole new meaning in it. They may see something different in it that makes them want to research the photograph. Sometimes what one person sees in a photograph is different than what another may see. I’m sure everyone has seen a lot of photographs throughout their lives, whether they are from family photo albums, photos hung on the walls of friends’ houses or restaurants, or maybe in
museums. Wherever we have seen photographs, they represent something
different depending on the one viewing them. I have seen so many photos
throughout my life, but as I was looking through photos from my Mom’s childhood, I found one that I had never seen before. The photograph was clearly a portrait, but not one done it a studio. Thomas Carlyle, a historian, is
quoted in Photography: The Whole Story by Juliet Hacking where he argues that, “a telling portrait can only be the result of an authentic encounter
between portrayer and portrayed… (103). This portrait of my family seemed
to be an authentic photograph, which would tell me a lot about the people within
it and the time period they lived in. I began to wonder what information I
could learn from this one photograph.
I chose a family photograph of my Mom with her Mom, Dad, two sisters, and
brother. I was instantly intrigued by this photograph because I felt
that I could not only learn about my family, but also about what life was like
when my mom and her siblings were growing up. The intrigue and interest I
had in this photo is known as studium which is described by Roland Barthes in his book Camera Lucida as, “that very wide field of unconcerned desire, of various interest, of inconsequential taste: I like/ I don’t like” (27). Studium is what interested me in the photograph and what made me want to do research. To begin my research, I decided to interview my Mom. I asked her questions
specifically about what was going on in the photo, what significance it had to
her, what it was like for her growing up, the relationships with her family, and
what she thinks is different from when she was growing up to when I was growing up. Another element of photography that Barthes talks about is
punctum, which is the element of the photo that pricks you (27). It is also the element that is not intended in the photograph. In terms of my photograph, I felt that there was nothing that truly pricked me. There were interesting elements
that made me want to do research about my family, but Barthes would consider
that studium. Just because there was not any punctum in my photograph didn’t mean that I still could not research and go deeper into the photo.
Listening to my Mom tell me stories gave me an insight into the past, but I realized after I was done and looking through all of her answers I had recorded that one theme stood out: family bonds. I noticed that everything my Mom talked about could directly tie back into the bonds that families share, and the relationships we develop with people around us that influence and define who we are.
This photograph of my family was taken at Cedar Point around 1974. My
Mom told me that her and her family went to Cedar point every year. As she
said, “It was always the most fun ever.” They would leave early in the
morning and come back late at night. Most times even other family members
or friends would go with them. They made it a big day with all the mothers
packing picnic baskets with food to eat lunch and dinner after riding all of the
rides. My mom said that they had even perfected the trip after a while,
knowing when to leave and what order to go on the rides.
What my Mom was telling me were things I would have never been able to tell just from looking at the photograph itself. I asked her what significance the photograph held for her and she told me, “It represents happy times when the family was all together. Since my dad is not with us now it is great to look back and see us all together.” After she told me this, I realized exactly what this photograph meant to my mom. It meant family and a time of togetherness. It also represented a memory about her Dad and my Grandpa, who I never got to meet. As Barthes says, “cameras, in short, were clocks for seeing…” (15). Cameras and the photographs they produced are ways to see into the past and experience times we never got to be a part of or relive
memories that hold a special place in our heart. I was able to learn
and experience a time in the past that I was not apart of through listening to
my Mom’s stories. As I listened and recounted what she said, I realized
that the theme of family and togetherness is something that is passed on through generations in all different forms. As the interview continued I asked my
Mom more questions, but ones that would go beyond what was seen in the
photograph in order to get to know more about my Mom’s childhood.
My Mom told me different things about her childhood. She told me she would go back to it in a heartbeat. Her Mom was a stay-at-home mom. She had an older brother and was the middle of three girls. There was always somebody there for her to play with, and they were close as a family, spending holidays with cousins and having picnics in the summer with the whole family. It was easy to see that the photograph for her resonated feelings of happiness and times with family that went beyond what was actually seen in the photograph. I loved how much more I was finding out about my Mom and what it was like during a time period I didn’t grow up in. My Mom’s stories were all about family and the bonds they share, so when I asked her this next question her answer was interesting because it shows how much is different between not only families, but peoples’ bonds and relationships today.
I asked my Mom what she thinks has changed since the time she was growing up to the time when I was growing up. She said that, “People were closer back then because they didn’t have technology. You socialized more
face-to-face with neighbors.” This directly ties into the idea of peoples’ relationships and bonds with one another. Everything that my Mom told me dealt with family and people and the bonds they share, and the introduction of technology has seemed to change how and in what way everyone communicates and the type of relationship they share.
I think that it was the idea of family bonds and the relationships that people share with one another that became such a compelling element of this photograph for me. Barthes claims that for him, “the anticipated essence of the
Photograph could not, in my mind, be separated from the “pathos” of which, from
first glance, it consists” (21). I took this to mean that once we feel an
emotional connection to a photograph we cannot be separated from
it. This photograph resonated feelings of happiness in my Mom, and I
could see why. It also made me feel more connected with the photograph and
the people in it. On the surface, the photograph represents a memory
from my family’s past, but going deeper, it signifies a theme that many people
can relate too.
For me, the power in photography lies in the fact that even though one photograph may be particular to a certain person or their family, there are
multiple ways that a photograph can relate to many other people who see
it. It is through different themes, which photography can represent, that
people find a way to relate to photographs that they see and discover. I
was not born during the same time period as my Mom, but I could relate to this
photograph because of the theme it represented. Sometimes the theme is not
evident until you do some research, like I had to do. Once I did the
research though, I realized that the theme of family bonds is something that
most people can relate too. Everyone will interpret family bonds and
relationships differently, but isn’t that what makes photography and life itself
more exciting and diverse? Sometimes only a photograph can tell different
stories and relate different themes that represent memories, a certain time
period, and history that is important in our lives.
Works Cited
Barthes, Roland. (1980). Camera Lucida: Reflections
on Photography. New York: Hill and Wang.
Hacking, Juliet. (2012). Photography: The Whole Story. New York:
Prestel Publishing.
This photograph of my family was taken at Cedar Point around 1974. My
Mom told me that her and her family went to Cedar point every year. As she
said, “It was always the most fun ever.” They would leave early in the
morning and come back late at night. Most times even other family members
or friends would go with them. They made it a big day with all the mothers
packing picnic baskets with food to eat lunch and dinner after riding all of the
rides. My mom said that they had even perfected the trip after a while,
knowing when to leave and what order to go on the rides.
What my Mom was telling me were things I would have never been able to tell just from looking at the photograph itself. I asked her what significance the photograph held for her and she told me, “It represents happy times when the family was all together. Since my dad is not with us now it is great to look back and see us all together.” After she told me this, I realized exactly what this photograph meant to my mom. It meant family and a time of togetherness. It also represented a memory about her Dad and my Grandpa, who I never got to meet. As Barthes says, “cameras, in short, were clocks for seeing…” (15). Cameras and the photographs they produced are ways to see into the past and experience times we never got to be a part of or relive
memories that hold a special place in our heart. I was able to learn
and experience a time in the past that I was not apart of through listening to
my Mom’s stories. As I listened and recounted what she said, I realized
that the theme of family and togetherness is something that is passed on through generations in all different forms. As the interview continued I asked my
Mom more questions, but ones that would go beyond what was seen in the
photograph in order to get to know more about my Mom’s childhood.
My Mom told me different things about her childhood. She told me she would go back to it in a heartbeat. Her Mom was a stay-at-home mom. She had an older brother and was the middle of three girls. There was always somebody there for her to play with, and they were close as a family, spending holidays with cousins and having picnics in the summer with the whole family. It was easy to see that the photograph for her resonated feelings of happiness and times with family that went beyond what was actually seen in the photograph. I loved how much more I was finding out about my Mom and what it was like during a time period I didn’t grow up in. My Mom’s stories were all about family and the bonds they share, so when I asked her this next question her answer was interesting because it shows how much is different between not only families, but peoples’ bonds and relationships today.
I asked my Mom what she thinks has changed since the time she was growing up to the time when I was growing up. She said that, “People were closer back then because they didn’t have technology. You socialized more
face-to-face with neighbors.” This directly ties into the idea of peoples’ relationships and bonds with one another. Everything that my Mom told me dealt with family and people and the bonds they share, and the introduction of technology has seemed to change how and in what way everyone communicates and the type of relationship they share.
I think that it was the idea of family bonds and the relationships that people share with one another that became such a compelling element of this photograph for me. Barthes claims that for him, “the anticipated essence of the
Photograph could not, in my mind, be separated from the “pathos” of which, from
first glance, it consists” (21). I took this to mean that once we feel an
emotional connection to a photograph we cannot be separated from
it. This photograph resonated feelings of happiness in my Mom, and I
could see why. It also made me feel more connected with the photograph and
the people in it. On the surface, the photograph represents a memory
from my family’s past, but going deeper, it signifies a theme that many people
can relate too.
For me, the power in photography lies in the fact that even though one photograph may be particular to a certain person or their family, there are
multiple ways that a photograph can relate to many other people who see
it. It is through different themes, which photography can represent, that
people find a way to relate to photographs that they see and discover. I
was not born during the same time period as my Mom, but I could relate to this
photograph because of the theme it represented. Sometimes the theme is not
evident until you do some research, like I had to do. Once I did the
research though, I realized that the theme of family bonds is something that
most people can relate too. Everyone will interpret family bonds and
relationships differently, but isn’t that what makes photography and life itself
more exciting and diverse? Sometimes only a photograph can tell different
stories and relate different themes that represent memories, a certain time
period, and history that is important in our lives.
Works Cited
Barthes, Roland. (1980). Camera Lucida: Reflections
on Photography. New York: Hill and Wang.
Hacking, Juliet. (2012). Photography: The Whole Story. New York:
Prestel Publishing.