I think that photographers are on a continuum that ranges from constructing a subject that exists only in their minds to illustrating a subject. Feature film cinematographers and photographers like Jeff Wall are firmly on the construction end of the continuum. Someone like Richard Avedon is a bit harder to place. He was explicit about using his subjects, including famous ones, as raw material. That comes through loud and clear in the PBS film Richard Avedon: Darkness and Light. I think that the majority of photographers, including many of the most famous, lie in the direction of the illustration end of the continuum.
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