For me the value of this “genera” of photography may be in helping interested members think beyond standard treatments and presentations, as wonderfully demonstrated in your recent post Oxbow Bend Triptych.
Frankly photographers are accustomed to talking to- and shooting for- other photographers and have very little experience (or success) in the larger world and market for art. Graphic Design is certainly a good pathway to explore for breaking out of the usual photographic navel-gazing and reaching into the art market. Graphic artists and art directors do it all the time and make quite nice livings at it… While using the same photos!!! My favorite graphic artist, also a very highly trained and skilled commercial photographer, made the most telling (and perhaps damning) statement I’ve heard about today’s photographers in general:
“The most dedicated photographers use only about 5% of the tools in Photoshop. In fact it’s a graphics program and NOT a photographic program. More’s the pity for them in attempts to break into the market.”