How does Max behave while returning from photo-travelling?

When Max travels back in time using a photograph, she only spends a few minutes there and then comes back to the present (visualised with burning old and appearing new photos). She seems to know at least a bit about what happens in the meantime, for example she seems not at all surprised to hear that

she wrote letters to the paralysed Chloe, including poems.

But she also seems to behave differently while returning, because while she

warns Chloe that Mr. Jefferson is evil,

she says that she won't remember what she just said. And later, Chloe says something like "here's the real Max again", suggesting that she can easily see a difference.

Is Max in some sort of barely-working-autopilot-mode (like the protagonist in the movie "Click") or does she behave the same as usual, but without time travelling? Or does she indeed use her time travel powers, but not using photos? Or, the real complicated option, can she use photo-time-travel while photo-time-travelling?