The process is the purpose

The point of hobby often is the process of the activity rather than an accomplishment, the joy often coming from the mechanics of the act rather than the output. In photography, the image itself is rarely the point for amateurs - there is of course the desire to create an output that can provide a moment of wonder but getting to that moment- tracking wildlife or landscapes in the early morning calm or tracking nebula and galaxies with arc second accuracy in astrophotography night after night - give rise to moments of stillness in space and time when the rest of the noise just melts away. Even post processing activity opens up new ways to see familiar and unfamiliar spaces that focus attention on the immediate act more than the end.

Photography is also unique in being challenging enough to require specialized skills in a number of areas (hardware, software, composition, some science etc) without being overwhelming. At its core, the objective is simply to capture photons and therefore it can be enjoyed with a smartphone as much as it can with advanced equipment but a deliberate attempt to engage in the act subtly changes the way one views the world. Senses slowly become aware of every beam of light, shadows and reflections, colors, expressions and moments.

Ultimately the point of most hobbies may simply be to slow the world down where the purpose is just the act of engaging in it. This is also why the fear of AI replacing photography or for that matter any other art form is, at least for me, irrational. For the hobbyist, the process brings as much joy or perhaps even more than the output whereas the entire point of AI is the output.