Here's my theory, and mind you, it's my
personal opinion.
If you and I both have D5100 cameras, and we both set the camera on AUTO, aim at the exact same focal point, our pictures should turn out identical. They may be beautiful and precise, but they are identical. Where's the "art"? You can manipulate the camera to make your photo "look" different, but that's my point.
With post-processing comes the art. Manipulating the camera is just pre-processing. I have more options with the post work.
How I
see a scene is different than how you
see a scene. How I manipulate
my results will be different than
yours. In 99.9% of my photos, I can not remember exactly what I did in post-processing. I like that. I don't want a photo that is easily duplicated. I like the one-of-a-kind sense of art.
With a good camera and good post-processing, I can make a photo look like the painting I could never paint. I can create the mix of results that I could never do with a brush or pen.
A mountain will still be a mountain tomorrow. Why would I prefer to look at a photo over looking directly at the mountain (vacation pics excepted)? But, if I manipulate that mountain and how the light reflects, or the intensity of the clouds, I make that mountain personal and a view that is one-of-a-kind, a view that can only be experienced by looking at
my photo.
This isn't an argument, it is just an explanation of how
I see
my photography results. Be sure to read my signature line.