Mechanical Reproduction: The End of Aura?

Walter Benjamin talks a great deal about how new technologies are the cause for the death of aura. The aura of nature is to be able to see and feel its beauty. To experience it at first hand. With the invention of photography and film, natural environments lose their aura. When you look at a picture, you don't feel the temperature of that time, or the breeze running through your hair, so essentially the aura is lost. At the same time though, it is as if a new form of art is being created. Obviously aura is going to be lost through a medium, however, to try to capture the aura and the feel of that particular moment in a photograph poses a challenge and a goal to the photographer. And although it is not the same beauty, it is an entirely different feel and still art none the less.
The author also talks about the loss of value in a piece of art when there is no original. Prior to mechanical reproduction, original pieces of work were valued so high and captured that "aura" that every wants. Knowing that this is the actual piece the author worked so hard on gives the work that much more meaning and makes it that much more appreciated. With mechanical reproduction, the aura of the piece is lost and the value is decreased greatly. What is good however, is that the art is available to more people. Those classes who may not have been able to purchase such expensive art works are now more able to. The aura is lost but the work is available to many more people than it would have been, and with that, the author may have a better chance at being more widely known.
SO, with mechanical reproduction definitely came the loss of aura in the art world, but other positives have also seemed to emerge from it.