Intro
Recently I came across an excellent article by photographer Peter Hoffman that was shared by Andy Adams on the Flak Photo Substack entitled “There Is No Punctum Unless It Is a Photograph”. In it Hoffman describes the “punctum” of a photograph, a term coined by French theorist Roland Barthes in his 1980 book on photography Camera Lucida.
To Barthes, a memorable photograph will contain a detail, often small and initially unassuming, and sometimes, to my reading, even incidental, that will break through to the viewer in a particular and wholly subjective way. This detail might be something the photographer does not even notice when making the image, or, if they do, they may not intend for it to be noticed in depth. In the photographer’s mind, it is ancillary.
Barthes calls this detail the punctum, and for me, it is what completes the journey of the photograph, which is to say, from its creation to its recognition by a spectator…
…Barthes’ concept is distinctly personal — it is something beyond and separate from the generally accepted meaning of an image (what he calls the Studium). Besides being personal, Barthes’ punctum seems to be orthogonal to ideas of taste or quality
- Peter Hoffman, on Barthes’ “punctum”
My Definitions
Although I had never heard the term before, I was intrigued so I did a bit more research on the topic. Other introductory discussions of the terms can be found here and here. At the risk of oversimplifying them, I think of studium as the definitive parts of a photograph and the punctum as a small detail that helps to further a personal connection between the photograph and the viewer.
Or, to try and put it into sports terminology, studium is the measurable attributes of a photograph, and punctum is the intangibles. When I thought of them this way I realized why they intrigued me so - I’m constantly looking for the intangibles in photos, looking for those small details that are the reason why the image appeals to me. Although I’ve written entire articles about minute details in images (my reviews of an Ebbets Field Souvenir Stand and Mr. Mertle’s Man Cave come to mind) I thought it might be fun to go through some photos from my archives and try to discern my punctum for each one.
Hank Aaron Batting
The cap bill sticking out underneath the batting helmet. So Aaron. ❤️
Ali vs. Liston
The photographer between Ali’s legs, realizing he’s in the wrong spot. ❤️
Bill Russell & Elgin Baylor
The scoreboard. Vintage sports awesomeness. ❤️
Len Dawson, Super Bowl I
The Chiefs Clubhouse attendant wearing Mickey Mouse ears - a nod to Packer’s coach Vince Lombardi referring to the AFL as “a Mickey Mouse league” ❤️
Cleveland Indians Batboys
I’ve always wondered why the kid on the left has a different typeface on his jersey. Now you’ll wonder too. 🤔
Lew Alcindor
It’s hard to look past such an imposing figure as a young Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but who are those figures in the background? And why are they standing like that? 🤔
1973 Baseball Card Show
From a Sports Collectors Daily article on a 1973 card show. Those stacks of early 1970s Topps cards wrapped in rubber bands give me goosebumps. 😳
Lonnie Parker, Race Car Driver
The last photos (for today, this is pretty fun and may have to happen again!) have a personal connection for me. They’re of my paternal grandfather, Lonnie Parker, who was a dirt track racer in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Although these photos hung in my grandparents’ house since I was a kid, it wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized that one of the stickers on the windshield was actually a NASCAR logo. Yep, my Pa-Pa was a NASCAR driver! How cool is that? ❤️
Closing
I hope you’ve enjoyed this piece and I hope it’s inspired you to take another look at your favorite sports (or even non-sport) photos and try and determine for yourself what intangibles are drawing you in. I’ve found it to be an entertaining and informative way to spend a little time looking at cool pictures. If you find any punctums that really speak to you, leave a comment below, send me a message in the Substack app or tag me on social media. And, as always, thanks for reading!
You're really on to something with this format. Fun, informative, visual, engages the reader, easy to buzz around. Great job. There better be a next one and I'm looking forward to it.
Never knew the phrase, but perfectly captures why I love certain images.
Related somewhat, looking at the classic Ali photo, it made me wonder about all the other angles of that shot. We all know that one for a reason, as it’s the best possible example of that moment. But it would be interesting to see all 20+ images that the various other photographers would have captured.
While they surely never saw the light of day and probably no longer exist, it would perhaps add some interesting context to the overall scene.