Quote Originally Posted by JMB View Post
At all costs, the photograph should not reduce to a slavish attempt to simply record or imitate nature, which requires a sort of self-denial –the antithesis of the artistic personality. Rather, a good photograph demonstrates a photographer’s capacity for intense vision and his ability to express himself forcefully.

I have creative photography in mind, here, of course. And all art worthy of the name, at least in my view, ultimately has beauty and sublimity (however broadly conceived) as its primary subjects.
It depends on what you want to accomplish. A police photographer recording evidence of a crime scene, or an architect recording a architectural detail, or a portrait photographer shooting his 208th high school senior that morning may have a very different viewpoint, yet all can produce a photo worthy of being considered "Art."
Sometimes the results of photography for the record can be outstanding!