I know professional photographers that would disagree with you Morgano. But then, I know others that wouldn't :P.

The point or purpose of photography is as ambiguous as the definition of art. It's entirley individual.

Knowledge of your equipment and conditions will yield limited results, regardless of how they are exploited. But if the desired result is beyond what is possible via traditional means, 'post-work' then becomes a must.

The problem then becomes at which point does a photograph cease to be a photograph? There's that ambiguity again! :)

If we can hit that bullseye, the rest of the dominos will fall like a house of cards...checkmate!