the stranger in me

Pictures can mean so many different things to different people. Pictures can be ways to remember those we love, the amazing places we travel or the moments we want to try and relive again. A photo can mean something different to everyone who looks at it, but the only person that knows the true meaning behind a photo is the person that took it. Pictures are ways we capture moments that we want to remember. That could be going on a family trip, going out with friends, or a beautiful sight that you never want to forget. We also take pictures often of ourselves. We take selfies all the time and send them to family and friends. Showing everyone what we are doing and capturing what your doing and what you look like. We also take portraits of ourselves. Pictures used for a visual representation of us that is just more personal than an average picture or selfie. A portrait was a very good way for people to use to show who they were before cameras were invented. Now when we take portraits of ourselves, it can show a more personal touch, because the portrait is a way we show a different side of ourselves. I have taken two photos of myself, and they both can mean something different to everyone who sees it. However, I want to try and show the sides of me that everyone can see and also me in my private life. These pictures are small representations of the ways I represent myself to the public and in private.

“To collect photographs is to collect the world.”(Sontag 3) This is the view of a photograph from Susan Sontag. Susan is the author who wrote, "In Plato's Cave" and she says early on in the story that when we take a photo it is more meaningful than an ordinary picture, its a way to collect the whole world. She shows that there is a deeper meaning behind every photo that is taken, and I agree with this. A photo can catch a moment in time that can be of any emotion and any setting. I really do love this quote, which is why it was my first choice for a relatable and meaningful quote. The way that a photo can take a moment in time and capture it is amazing and I think that the photos I have taken are a great example of this. My selfie is a visual representation of my daily life and my public face. This selfie I would send to many of my friends so that everyone can see what I am doing and capture that moment in time. My portrait is a slice of time in my private life, with a different attitude and mood which is different than my selfie in my public life. My portrait is capturing a moment in time that means more than the selfie I took, because my portrait is showing a more personal side of me in my favorite place. The portrait I took was of me in the forest on a trail deep in thought. One of my favorite things to do is to go on a long walk and be surrounded by nature and listen to music and just think. Doing this always makes my head cool and helps me relax and walk around and explore the world. Both photos have one thing in common which is the ability to capture a moment that I can relive, whenever I want to remember these moments. Just like how Susan said, "photos like these, are small moments captured that are visual representations that collect the world around us." That is what I like about the quote and why I wanted to relate it, because it is so fascinating what a photo can represent and it has more meaning than just a photo, it is a picture of me and my world.

Between my two photos they both have many differences, but also similarities between the two of them. The selfie is something I would show everyone when I am talking to people or when I am showing people where I am or what I am doing. My selfie is a picture of me, Vince Noska, Freshman at Moraine Valley Community College. I promote peace and my favorite Marvel comic character as you can see by the clothes that I wear. A simple picture of who I am and quick snapshot of how I want people to see me. My portrait is something more meaningful, and it shows me standing in the environment that I feel most comfortable in and amongst nature. When I am alone and need to clear my head, I go for long walks with music playing in my ear. It is one of my favorite things to do when I have free time as well as go on hikes and that is why I took my portrait of me on a hiking trail. When I am not in school, I like to surround myself with an environment that that is very relaxing and peaceful to clear my head and think. Because of the time that I have spent outdoors, it has helped me realize who I am, and that person loves to be free and go out and have fun, but also to explore the world and learn about my surroundings. A good example of me exploring the world is when I went to Colorado. I realized by taking this trip that I want to go to college there and my goal is to make it there in two years. My plan is to become a History teacher and teach in high-school one day. If you were to look at my selfie, it is the cover of my story about Vince Noska. However, if you were to open the book and read the pages inside, that would be my portrait. I consider myself to be a very honest, straightforward, simple person. I would say that the cliche', "What you see is what you get" wraps up my personality. I do feel I have many skeleton's in my closet and I like my life to be simple and peaceful. Some of the contrasts of my two pictures is that my selfie is something everyone can see on a typical day. Going to school, doing well in my classes and meeting new people with a smile. The portrait allows you to know a little bit more about me, it shows a little more of my interests and what I do to relax and think. Another example is that in my selfie represents what I need to do now, which is go to school and get my education so that I can do what I want to do later, which is represented by my portrait. My portrait represents me as an explorer and being outdoors which I love to do. There are many comparisons between the two as well, I feel comfortable going to school and showing everyone what I wear, and I always wear something easy and simple. As seen in my portrait and selfie I am wearing the same clothes with the same look just in a different environments. When I am in public, I like to think that I am a very friendly and open person. I love meeting new people, talking and hanging out with new people I consider myself a very social person. When I am in private, I feel more relaxed and calm, but I still am as sociable and open as I am in public. Everyday I call and see my friends, play soccer, and play online games. Because of this I do not feel I have different personalities when I am alone compared to when I am with someone or surrounded by people. I am focusing during the day on school so that one day I can be a success, and when I have free time, I love to get lost in my thoughts and see where it takes me.

Works Cited

Sontag, Susan. “In Plato’s Cave.” On Photography, Dell Publishing, 1977,

pp. 3-24. Composition Flipped,

writing101.net/flip/wp-content/resources/documents/sontaginplatoscave.pdf.