Why bother making realist art? Why not just take a photo?

"Realist art is pointless, simply take a photo". I've heard this comment before, and at the time I thought, 'yeah, you're quite right really'. But as a graphic artist that naturally leans toward realism in my own creative practice, I also disagree. I was thinking about this comment today while working, as I'm part way through completing a piece for a new body of work, which I'll announce more about soon. I think sometimes realist art or 'hyperrealism' can imbue subject matter with a degree of renewed clarity. An artists interpretation (while debatable in terms of realist art), can convey a previously hidden or veiled message, particularly if that subject matter had only existed in photographic form.