Yes, I agree, recently I have been studing photography to help me compose a scene and it's helped.... massively :)
I remember one DVD I watched where the photographer said he gets asked alot what inspires him to make beautiful pictures.... and he said...he does'nt take pics cos he loves pretty things... he takes pictures
cos he loves 'light'.... he gets inspired by how light falls on something....he basically said that photography was the LOVE OF LIGHT and I think this is paramont in rendering.