Seeing the context in which the photos are taken (busy streets, kind of grimy looking) makes you realize how powerful a camera is at creating an illusion. That

Seeing the context in which the photos are taken (busy streets, kind of grimy looking) makes you realize how powerful a camera is at creating an illusion. That is, taking a good photo means composing your shot so that you don't include elements you don't want in it. What you end up with is a photo which makes it appear you're the only one at a location, or that a location is more beautiful or exciting than it actually is. Your brain fills in all the details of what's outside of the frame, which often isn't what's really there.