Photography has suffered from a lack or recognition by the establishment to be considered an art form. Perhaps this is because a photographer simply captures the image of a subject and nothing more. Right? Not so.
While a painter uses paints, pencils, a canvas to paint an image he or she does so by looking at a live subject and using skills recreates what is seen.
With notable exceptions, this is mostly the case. The same thing can be said about a sculptor. A subject is used in order to recreate it in the form of a stone or marble piece.