I think you need both and they are just as important as each other. You need to understand how to use the tool (technique), and you need a creative eye (aesthetics). Like anything, they can both be learned, and they can be learned different ways. Technique can be rote learned vs thinking and understanding, e.g. to control DoF, you just need to remember that you adjust the aperture, rather than needing to understand why the aperture affects the DoF. Some people naturally have a creative eye, others need to learn it.
|