A photograph or a tracing made with an optical device is a mechanical reproduction of the original work, but it has its own copyright because there's a human in

A photograph or a tracing made with an optical device is a mechanical reproduction of the original work, but it has its own copyright because there's a human in the loop. A forger takes skill and creativity to make a copy of an existing work that is so good it cannot be distinguished from the original. By your assertion, the forgery should have its own independent copyright.