yay or nay? I like using them. I've even held off on posting a chapter until I found the perfect photo. But I noticed on another thread, some people do not like photos.
My advice is a photo or a description, but not both and ESPECIALLY not a description THEN photo, always use the photo first.
I'm all for photos. Love using them but I at least try and put some description into the chapter as if the photo wasn't there. One exception being a short chapter I wrote recently that was pretty much just all about the photos but that's the exception to my rule.
I'm doing the 3D art for one of my stories, and I introduce the images simultaneously with the character description, so I hope that avoids the 'breaking the mental image' many people don't seem to like. I'm also avoiding the need to customize because the MC is fixed. I voted "depends" because I like art made specifically for the story. I guess a photo series of the same models would be ok... but that random jarring porn photo in the middle of something is very immersion-breaking.
I've had lively discussions here about the pros and cons of pictures in stories; there are those who seem to hate the very idea of illustrated erotica. What I think people really don't like is that pictures get used as something of a crutch, to convey what should be conveyed in descriptive words. This makes sense; after all, there are thousands and thousands of places one can go online to find pictures of people being naked and having sex, so people who come to CHYOA instead do so specifically because they want it in writing. But I am of a mind that pictures can really help if they're used the right way (the story I'm currently putting most of my effort into has many photo illustrations). Here's what I think are important things to keep in mind when illustrating a story: (1) Make the story work WITHOUT the pictures; they should supplement the text, not replace it. Don't use illustrations in place of verbal descriptions. (2) Make sure the verbal descriptions actually match what the picture is showing. For example, if your story involves two girls having spontaneous sex in their dorm room, don't illustrate it with a picture of two porn stars in slutty makeup and lacy lingerie, doing it in a richly-furnished bedroom with a king-sized bed. Two college girls in their dorm room just don't look like that! (3) Not every picture has to be pornographic; sometimes, it's good to use pictures just to establish setting. If your story takes place on a tropical island, a few appropriate images of beach scenery can really enhance the story. (4) Most of us (probably all of us) are not in a position to pay nude models to pose for us in a studio. So, we are more or less compelled to either draw our illustrations, or find pics online. Obviously if you can illustrate your stories with your own pictures, that's terrific; your only limit is your own talent, and you can make the pictures precisely match your descriptions. (5) For those of us who seek out images online... well, there's a little thing called copyright. If you choose to post images without permission from the copyright owner, you're taking a chance they'll find out and have your story removed. That having been said, if you're going to use online photos to illustrate your characters, I think it's best to use pornstars. Of course it's much easier to find pics showing sex and nudity that way, but there's also the fact that they've essentially consented to having strangers masturbate to them; it's part of their job. Jennifer Lawrence, to pick a name from the air, didn't sign up for that. (6) Definitely make sure you KNOW that the models are over 18!
If I use an R or X rated photo, it's to show someone in nude in public or some off the wall thing. I normally use photos to show what a person looks like: soccer mom, coed, MILF, etc as they look in their normal everyday life. I think I only used one photo of a couple having sex to show the position.
