It's all art - poser is just another tool. Though sometimes I find it quite difficult to explain what we do 3d artists do. Often I'll use these stock replies.

'Dress up barbie' for grownups.
Virtual film studio.
Making dioramas but without plastic models.

*Are photographers doing anything more than picking some settings before they point a camera at something and press the shutter release ?

• Sometimes yes we do, and thats because we sometimes we might want to explore the technical side of photography rather the subject or say the composistion. 

Then once we have that tecchincal understanding we can use that knowledge and apply that to a subject.  

Pinky - you left the lens cap of your mind on again.