In Plato's Cave

1. I think she means that no matter how much you try to capture just the reality of the photograph, they are haunted by their truth and story. An example she uses is the Farm Security Administration photo project. The photographers would capture hundreds of photographers until satisfied. Many of these photographs included a  subject that supported their own belief about poverty, light, dignity, texture, exploitation, and geometry. I do agree with her statement. Everyone can interpret photos differently and form different opinions no matter how "right" or "wrong" the message in the photograph is. However, the photographs she is referring to are just trying to capture reality, which could be taken away because of peoples' beliefs or opinions.

2. I think she Sontag means that taking photographs on vacation can certify your experience and in a way could be a souvenir because you can always have that together to remember your trip. However a photographer can only limit the experience, especially if the viewer of the photograph was not there with you. A photograph cannot capture your entire experience, only a fragment of it. I also agree with this statement. No one can truly understand and experience all you encountered. A photograph can only get a snip it of time. An example Sontag uses to back up her statement is tourists who are on vacation. Most tourists feel obligated to take a picture of whatever exciting thing they see. Whenever I go on vacation, I take a bunch of pictures then post them on Instagram or Facebook. Our generation especially has a tendency of flaunting our lives on a social media website. Whether we want to look cooler or more interesting, we want people to see where we have been and who we were with. But on a more positive note, the pictures may capture an enjoyable time for us and remind us of happy things. Even though people looking at the pictures might not know the background story, they still see a moment in time that makes us happy, whether we were at an interesting place or just looked really good in the photograph.