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Camera Lucida Book Review

Damien Franco | Jul 16, 2008 | Comments Comments

Camera Lucida

Our first book in the Your Photo Tips Photography Book Club is Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes. In hindsight (which is of course 20/20) I could have gone with a book that was easier to consume, but that’s not really my style. One of the most important pieces of literature about photography Camera Lucida has also been highly criticized by many. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the philosophical views in the book it is important to note that these are the views of a man who was not a photographer himself and more importantly it was written by a man who causes you to think.

Written shortly after his mother’s death there is a very dark and mortal tone in this reading. Roland Barthes refers to life and death heavily throughout the book and the ongoing intermingling of those themes comes to a climax towards the end. This particular aspect of the book really grabs the reader in many ways. I found myself torn, often times within minutes, between feeling able to be one with the author then finding him alien. The roller coaster of emotions that are portrayed are symbolic of life itself as we grow, learn, reach, and find disappointment because of limitations caused by time and death. Does the photograph capture life, or does it capture death?

Barthes reaches controversy in Camera Lucida when he eludes to amateur photographers’ mastery of photography over the professional photographers. No doubt there were many professional photographers enraged by this conclusion therefore finding the book to be no more than the ramblings of a broken man. Admittedly I was taken aback, but held my emotions in check (as much as I could) as I continued on with the book.

I think Barthes got it wrong then, but does he get it wrong now? I think one could argue that with the price of quality photographic equipment in the price range of the average consumer we stumble upon much more than the ordinary when perusing through images online. Does more photographers (and easier sharing methods) mean we, as a community, are getting better? And if so, does that mean that the gap between quality from the “professional photographers” and the “hobbyists” is closing? Maybe he never had it wrong all along.

Aside from this website there are numerous other photography websites that aim at teaching “hobbyists” to better their photography. Hobbyists tend to use photography as a means of self expression as opposed to making money. Does this free them from the confines of “professional photography”? If so, does it then become more about the process than the product?

One of the best aspects of a book like Camera Lucida is that it raises more questions than offers answers.

So what did I get out of the book?

In reading Camera Lucida I stopped and reflected several times. I’m a fast reader so this was actually good for me. Similar to the difference in viewing photographs online and viewing printed photographs the book held my attention and caused me to reflect heavily on my own thoughts as well as interpreting the thoughts of the author. When I’m viewing photographs online I can sometimes find myself consuming them in mass quantities making snap judgements and deciding whether I like them or not at a mere glance. It’s truly a terrible practice. When viewing photographs in print, however, I consume the images with great care and deep thought.

After reading Camera Lucida I have taken a new aproach to both my photography and my viewing of photographs. I couldn’t have asked for more. So perhaps this was the perfect book to start the Photography Book Club after all.

If you are interested in purchasing this book it can be found at amazon here.

In this week’s edition of Weekend Perusing I will announce the new book for the Your Photo Tips Photography Book Club. If you have suggestions feel free to leave them in the comments or use the contact form.


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  • If so, does it then become more about the process than the product?

    The division between professional and amateur, to me, seems to be based more in specific terminology than results or process. There's also the point of deciding whether or not to include "artistic value" into the professional equation - if process dicates professionalism, then artistic value has no place. If this is the case, then are all artists amateurs? How could you have a professional artist? What about the painter who regularly sells their work for $2,000? Are they professional simply because they make more money with their work? Or is it because of the business process by which they make that money?

    I love stuff like this. It's funny and confusing. I'm more apt to go with the system Niels mentions - that of beginner, intermediate and advanced. Even then, there's likely to be a problem, as I can classify many alleged professionals as intermediate level. Like art, I guess it's more subjective than objective, really.

    Fantastic post! :D
  • “Hobbyists tend to use photography as a means of self expression as opposed to making money. Does this free them from the confines of “professional photography”?"

    I think by definition, hobbyists are freed from being professionals. They're not making any money at it!

    It's easy as an amateur to denigrate professionals as being somehow devoid of art. So busy chasing the almight dollar, they lose sight of the magic of photography. But for every professional who has forgotten why they started shooting in the first place, there's an amateur who will never have the discipline to take an artistic vision beyond the next flickr upload.

    Artistic excellent strikes equally among amateur and professional. And leaves most from either side untouched.
  • I always have trouble when the word ‘amateur’ is used to connotate something less than professional, something not as good.

    An amateur is just someone who doesn’t earn the majority of his income for the identified profession and is in theory free to pursue his or her artistic passion without an client constraints.

    I still think the terms beginner, intermediate and advanced and even master better qualify the skills of photographers.

    Early on and this still was in effect until the late eighties, there was technical skill required to take any image correctly. The new cameras with their vast amount of processing capabilities has almost stripped the need for any technical camera skill at least when shooting in everyday conditions. That is why we have so many good images of everyday items.

    There is still skill needed when you wan to be the master of light, flashes, reflectors, gobo etc.

    The hard part and for most of us and this can be learned, is artistic expression. How to make the ordinary something extraordinary. How to make people stop and look and think about your image. To create emotion is really what separates the best form the ordinary.

    There are many professional photographers who works are purely bland and boring. cookie-cutter solutions, But I would also suspect that there are many amateurs that are worse as they are only beginning there artistic journey, but give them time and support from the rest of us and one day they may be great.

    Niels Henriksen
  • Gareth
    "Hobbyists tend to use photography as a means of self expression as opposed to making money. Does this free them from the confines of “professional photography”? If so, does it then become more about the process than the product?"

    Great observation and queries. I would say "Yes" to both. I know I find much more enjoyment from my photography when I'm freed from the confines of them being "others" photographs. Less pressure, as it were, I think.

    I look forward to reading this. Thanks for the review.
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