"In Plato's Cave" by Susan Sontag

The semi-history of photography: I never thought I'd find it all that interesting but reading about all the different aspects that Sontag presents was more exciting than I thought it'd be. I had never truly realized how many different views there could be for only one photograph. Now that I think about it, it does make sense. You take your own idea out of a photo; everyone can have their own individual interpretation, just like our descriptions of the painting in the coffee shop. Since I love history I do know that photos have played a very important role in America but I never knew how many other purposes photographs can serve. The possibilities are basically unlimited. I like Sontag's statement that taking a photo makes an event or object immortal in some ways. It's an interesting concept that I'd never really considered. By taking a picture you're capturing the world at that precise moment and it will always live on in the moment once the picture is developed. On a different note, I have to admit that I'm definitely one of those people that always takes a camera on a vacation, but I never realized how obsessed we Americans are with our photos. I must say that this piece pretty much opened my eyes to the wide world of photography.