HT2368 - Photographic Realism

Photography certainly has a reputation of being the most real medium for showing things. Every detail, every instance of light is so akin to human vision. Compare this to other visual media like watercolor, oil painting, dry point itching, linoleum cuts etc. All other media have an aesthetic that makes no pretension about realism. So is photographic realism its strength or is it the characteristic that separates it from the rest of the visual arts community?