this quote from the article:
“Knowing a great deal about what is in the world (art, catastrophe, the beauties of nature) through photographic images,” Sontag notes, “people are frequently disappointed, surprised, unmoved when they see the real thing.”
Reminded me of: Nubble lighthouse.

Do this: do a google image search on ‘nubble lighthouse.’ note the images which appear. It’s one of the most picturesque lights anywhere, and I’m sure you’ve seen it before. And yet, it seems to tempt the vast majority of photographers to rank dishonesty. Why?

Almost all the photos you will see are cropped off at the left, to create the illusion of remoteness. Truth? Just to the left, hidden in most photos, lots and lots of houses, a small city in fact. The lighthouse is in York, Maine, and completely surrounded by stuff the photographers are loath to show. It’s a bit of a wizard of oz thing: pay no attention to that city behind the curtain.