Reviews

Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes

sorenlorenson44's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

Something about this book makes me know that it's going to stay with me for a long time. Definitely worth a reread one day, and I can see myself coming back to it often. The prose can get quite wordy - I'm good with vocab and I had to read it with a dictionary in reach - but the text so brilliantly captures the sentiment and ideas that barthes expresses through the book. Starting off quite removed it begins with a clear objective stance on how he investigates what makes up the nature of a photograph before becoming surprisingly touching and reflective. Banger 

vithelovers's review against another edition

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informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

courier's review

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad

5.0

johnbittles's review

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informative reflective slow-paced

3.25

An investigation of the photograph, and our relationship with the captured image. Some passages were great, others didn't grip me as much. I liked it, but I'm not too sure who I would recommend it to. 

a_little_person's review against another edition

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reflective fast-paced

4.0

Fascinating insight into his well articulated thoughts. Some words where put on my feelings about photography which I never dared to think about - mostly about not connecting with the grand majority of photographs. Quick and not too heavy. Nice for a day in bed!

between_the_clouds's review against another edition

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informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

Un classico della letteratura fotografica assolutamente da leggere.
Un saggio non facile, soprattutto se non è affiancato da un minimo di cenni di semiotica, altre arti visive. Le analisi su Barthes riguardo gli usi della fotografia e il modo in cui si colloca all'interno della società. I temi trattati oscillano tra la sociologia, la psicologia.
Una lettura obbligatoria per chi vuole iniziare ad analizzare il linguaggio fotografico.

kdburton's review against another edition

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challenging reflective medium-paced

5.0

More than a philosophical exploration of the photograph, Barthes explores our relation to art, medium, and experience. I’m drawn to his conclusion that why one person is moved by a piece of art that another is not has to do with their subjective “punctum” (the thing that “pricks” or “wounds” them through the art) rather than any objective “studium” (that which we understand the intention of the art to be, through the craft of its creation within its medium). 

It is a great sadness to me that I will never know French enough to read Barthe’s original words. Thank goodness for good translations, though. 

— owned

tableforone's review against another edition

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informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

geoffdgeorge's review against another edition

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"Punctum." Probably the most memorable word and concept I took away from all my different film classes as an undergrad.

herm333s's review against another edition

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4.0

4 1/2
Barthes filosofa sobre la fotografía en relación a lo verdadero, al tiempo y al recuerdo, y como al tomar una fotografía hay un pequeño momento de muerte. El autor ata conceptos técnicos del proceso fotográfico con un aspecto personal sobre la muerte de su madre y los efectos de la foto en su memoria de ella, muy interesante y conmovedor.
"La Fotografía es violenta no porque muestre violencias, sino porque cada vez llena a la fuerza la vista y porque en ella nada puede ser rechazado ni transformado (el que a veces pueda afirmarse de ella que es dulce no contradice su violencia; muchos dicen que el azúcar es dulce, pero yo encuentro el azúcar violento)."