[IndySun]

Is this a serious topic worthy of serious responses from high ranking HN readers?

Depressing. They're both photos. A photo (of 'reality') is at its very best, at very best, already just a representation of the subject. Both are (technically) fake, aren't they?

[andybak]

There's a rather important distinction between an image of reality and a purely synthetic image.

I'm really not sure what point you are making.

[IndySun]

A photograph of reality can and often does look 'unreal', or odd, or fake. So many, many, aspects cause this; lighting, expressions caught mid point, even the colour. My point is, the invitation is nether a robust or an intriguing one. Nevertheless, it is a success for other reasons.