The art of photography is under fire. Especially in the wedding and portrait market there is a deluge of individuals who are taking snapshots rather than constructing imagery. They have equipment and rehearsed routines but exude no passion, and carry no motivation beyond the financial. Even their attention span is shorter; they will see something, snap a shot, and move on.
A true artist approaches every one of his creations with care from start to finish. I consider myself an artisan of photography because I consider photography a hands-on process. Every subject I shoot receives my complete artistic devotion and my entire attention.
The instananous nature of digital photography has made many bad photographers lazy, but helped many devoted photographers that much better.