all of the above.
one cant sustain without the other...
and in today's world... photoshop plays a role in it too...

hehehee
typical salon photographer

oh oh
let me add

4) ask david doubilet to take photographs of underwater corals with K750i, and wrap it with a plastic bag, seeing that equipment is not important...

i think this is a very good question.
what is a good photo?

good photo for you? an average lynians?
or good photo for a professional?
even for professional, there are alot of different 'field' in photography...
good photo for an architecture photographer? a food photographer? or a usual snap shot lomo photographer?

but pns camera got time lag... and pro are not used to time lag when taking photos...

skill is important no doubt but equipment is equally important. just because we do not see the usefullness of using a mk3 camera doesnt mean it is unimportant...

anyway, this debate/arguement is kinda popular on forum around the world ya?
it's nice to see people's perception on this issue though.

what if u put a pro with an olympus underwater camera and a noob but with PADI license with D2xs + lens + pro housing and go take photos of corals and fishes in the sea of the depth of 50m?

see... you can put both of this guys in a situation where it win you your arguement... and i can do it as well...
it is a never ending war...

pro can create good images with what they can get hold of but can they produce images that is up to their own standard? that's the question. i am sure give a k800i phone to a pro and he can still produce decent photographs... but give him his full range of gear and take the same thing... i am sure the quality of the photos are totally different...

give a noob a k800i and a mk3 and chances are, both photos taken from both camera are equally in quality. no offence to noobs though.

give a sport photographer a pns camera and since he cant photograph what he used to, he went to photograph some slightly over-weight chicks... and put it up here on lowyat and i can say that 90% of the forummers here drool saliva and leak cum like there is no tomorrow... but ask the pro himself, is it what he wanted? is it something that he is proud of?

there is a time where the photographer's skill will outlive the equipment he has and he felt that his equipment is limiting his skill... so, depending on different people... sometimes equipment is equally important.

i havent talk about astronaut yet. a sony ericcson k800i on moon?

did you ask him why he uses the 1dmk2 then? why not 350D? maybe it was given to him by his company... but if he bought the set himself... ask him that question.

wah still 'arguing'?

what hit me is the fact that only photographers who are lacking in skill claim that skill is more important and it is the most important in the world. no offence...

for someone who already has the skill, it has become a second nature to him... and therefore, he didnt even realise that he has the skill to execute it... he only see it that he do not have the latest H3 39MP blah blah blah to execute his idea out.

ac98,
i thought it is all about personal perception? no?

we are all wankers here... hobby is a way of wanking... dont you think so?