Pondering the requirements for the different genres of photography it occurred to me that each form seems to have one distinct requirement that makes or breaks the photo, yet that requirement usually isn't technical perfection. In most genres a good photo can have technical deficiencies, except for that one distinct element. For example: reportage photography needs to be factual, but it certainly doesn't need to be technically perfect, just as street photography needs to be compositionally appealing, but can certainly withstand sharpness issues etc. or it needs a strong story, for example. Macro photography requires centersharpness, but not necessarily corner-to-corner sharpness or DoF.
Clearly, the more elements that are perfected, the better the result might be, but it usually or mostly isn't required at all. That is: except for landscape photography. It seems landscape is one of the few genres where any one of the individual elements that contribute to technical perfection and aesthetic appeal, can make or break a photo.
Any thoughts?