Photo Reference

Photo-referencing is a common artistic technique wherein an artist bases their art on a photograph. 
Like other artists, fanartists use any and all types of photographic images for reference. Publicity stills and screenshots are useful when drawing television and film characters (or settings or objects). But fanartists also use nonfannish photos for reference as well.
Although a common practice in the creation of both professional and fannish art, the use of photo-referencing sometimes results in a great deal of discussion within fandom about the nature of originality, the legitimacy of copying, and the degree to which pieces of fanart are transformative.
For the artistic technique where artists use existing art in transformative ways, see Imitation.
==Fan Comments==
===1968===
===1997===
===2009===
===2024===
==The Limitations of Technology==
See Telepix, see Film Clips.
In a 2005 interview, a fan tells of the challenges of getting images from the television itself and VCR stills: 
The 2007 article Dribbling Scribbling Women: The History of Our Art discusses at great length the importance of photo references for artists and the difficulties, before the internet, of finding them:
File:Screenshotsforsale1.jpg| 1991 ad (page 1) in the Beauty and the Beast (TV) zine, Dreams of Thee, fans selling photo references to other fans 
File:Screenshotsforsale2.jpg|1991 ad (page 2) in the Beauty and the Beast zine, Dreams of Thee
==Reactions from Non-artists==
A 2001 comment published in the letterzine Discovered in a Letterbox expressed surprise and displeasure that some fan artists used gay porn as photo references instead of drawing something more original. Several fans replied in the following issue, including an artist who pointed out,
==Plagiarism or Copyright Violation? Or Neither?==
While the use of photo references is common in the art community, many fans (including fan artists) feel that it is a form of art plagiarism, even when proper credit is given.
From a fan in 1995: 
From a fan in 2009: 
The majority of the examples below would fail this type of "plagiarism" test. Even if the 'copying' artist makes changes to the picture or combines multiple elements from multiple pictures to create something new, some fans feel they need to "call out" the artist and force them to remove their art or terminate their online accounts. Likewise, new artists following an art tutorial and then posting the results could also face accusations of plagiarism. thread at the Buffy forum SlayAlive dated March 6, 2011. The concepts of transformative and fair use are rarely discussed or considered in fannish circles.In the professional art world, read and by Karen Liez.
Other fans disagree, citing photo, or live references, as a well-used and necessary tool used to create art. 
From an October 2015 discussion on Tumblr:
The original poster wrote later: 
==Photorealism As Its Own Distinct Style==
Some fan artists have come under criticisms for using photos as reference, especially in the context of contests or challenges. In 2012, fan artist euclase won second place in the studio sponsored art contest for the movie remake of Dark Shadows. The contest specified a modern updated portrait of Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins using a set of photos from the movie as a reference: 
Euclase's submission can be seen at right. Additional submissions can be found here but some old entries can still be found by and the winners can be found .
While the majority of comments on eculase's Deviantart page were positive and focused on the realism of the digital image,"You should have gotten first! This is awesome. Looks like a photograph." . Posted May 11, 2012. others took issue with the similarity between the photograph and the final drawing:
Both the artist and her supporters spent considerable time attempting to explain the artist's technique and photo-realism style in general:
And one fan even attempted to draw a parallel between the movie, which was essentially a remake of the original Dark Shadows TV series and the art contest:
==Examples of Photo-Referenced Fanart==
File:Public14-15-1.jpg| from "Tidbits Star File" (July 23, 1983), reprinted in In the Public Interest #14/15 (1999)
File:Onthedouble14.jpg| from On the Double #14 (1990), artist is Phoenix
File:Procalendar1991-3.jpg|from Professionals Calendar (1991), artist was Adrian Morgan
Image:vjkiss.jpg|V-J Day in Times Square, original photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt, published in Life Magazine in 1945 with the caption, "In New York's Times Square a white-clad girl clutches her purse and skirt as an uninhibited sailor plants his lips squarely on hers" 
File:Neversaydie1-1.jpg|from the Star Wars zine Never Say Die #1
File:Edgeofforevermiller3-7.jpg|from Edge of Forever #3 (1991), artist is Juanne Michaud, portrays Spock and an original character named Bacall Oxmyx
 Image:swrollingstone.jpg| the photo reference for A New Hope #1's cover: photograph by Annie Leibovitz, Rolling Stone, The Year in Music & Entertainment 1980 
 Image:Fanzine-anewhope-01.jpg| the Star Wars zine A New Hope, cover issue #1, Karen River -- minus Lando Calrissian 
Image:1994photoref.jpg| photocopy of an unidentified photograph, likely the original 1991 or earlier The fan who included this image in her trib said it was a postcard she'd "picked up in Amsterdam last year" which would have been in 1991. reference, printed in Strange Bedfellows #5 (May 1994) 
 File:Firsttime 34 back.jpg|back cover of First Time #34, artist is DEW (Star Trek: TOS) (1992)
 
File:Fox fish.jpg|cover for A Fish Called Krycek by The Theban Band (The X-Files) (1997) 
Image:You_Pay_Cover_by_S_Lovett_small.jpeg| cover of the Due South zine Thank You Kindly by Suzan Lovett -- "Holding Beauty" won a Huggy Award in 2000. 
Image:kirkbyliltz.jpg|by Frank V. Liltz (1983) 
Image:kirkbyengland.jpg|by Ruth England (date unknown)
File:rollingstonecover.jpg|Photo reference for a Suzan Lovett illustration: the cover of the February 9, 1989 issue of Rolling Stone, featuring Jon Bon Jovi
File:Harlequinairs6.jpg|by Suzan Lovett, the illustration opposite page 30 from Harlequin Airs, Doyle, a white horse a link to a larger version here, The Circuit Archive, accessed September 5.2012
File:starskyposter.jpg|Photo reference: a Starsky poster
File:Starsky.jpg|Starsky by Caren Parnes, winner of a 1985 Encore Award
File:Mindif6.jpg |inside art from Mind If I Join Ya?, artist is Jean C.
File:Frienz25.jpg|the cover of Frienz #25, artist unknown 
File:Rollingstonescoverxfiles.jpg|a cover of Rolling Stone 
 
File:Property fbi 5 by b gibson.jpeg|by Barbara Gipson from Property of the FBI #5
 
File:Sambeach2.jpg|photo reference, beer ad
File:Sambeach1.jpg|alt=illustartion of Sam and Dean in bathing suits sitting on beach chairs and holding beers looking out towards the water|Supernatural art by lupe_lei from , November 8, 2011 
File:Ept.jpg| a 1990s ad for a home pregnancy test
File:Masteroftherevels backcover.jpg|cover of the Facelift zine, Master of the Revels, artist is Suzan Lovett.
File:Starksy-hutch-still.JPG‎|This Starsky and Hutch publicity still was used as a reference in a lot of fanart.
File:Fix3art3.jpg|Starsky and Hutch fanart by Chris Soto
File:Fix13and14.jpg|Starsky and Hutch fanart by J. Jones
File:Whodo8.jpg|yet another fanart example
File:Buffystakestill.jpg|Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 1 publicity still
File:Monicabuffy.jpg|cover of Her Dark Soul by Monica M.See also , , and from Deviantart for non-zine art.
File:Xenagabkiss.jpg|Xena series finale production still, posted on many, many websites
File:Karastenberg lastkiss.jpg|oil painting by Kara Stenberg, formerly available on the artist's website
File:treeoflifephotoref.jpg|an official photo still from Robin of Sherwood
File:ROS Tree of life 3 back.jpeg|back cover of Tree of Life #3, artist is Barb Johnson
File:Quarterjune1987.jpg|front cover of Quarterstaff #3, artist unknown
File:Sherlockplayposter.jpg |a poster for a 1976 Sherlock Holmes playing starring Leonard Nimoy
File:Holms5art1.jpg |art for the zine The Holmesian Federation, artist is Annette Taylor
File:Blair.png |publicity still, Blair Sandburg
File:Mating2.jpg|cover of Mating Rituals #2, artist is H. Ann Walton
Image:mating2fig.jpg|beware the naked butt -- a fig leaf applied by an ebay seller that looks like a halo, or a graduation cap!
File:Oddssonphotoreference.jpg|cover of "Barnabas, Quentin and the Vampire Beauty (Dark Shadows Series, Volume 32)" 
File:Oddsson carolyn barnabas.jpg|interior art of Dark Shadows Concordance 1968, by Warren Oddsson
File:Copiedbarnabus.jpg|side by side comparison of a winning entry in the 2012 Dark Shadows fanart contest. The final digital image is on the left, the screencap from the movie in the middle and on the right, the two images overlayed with 80% opacity showing the similarity. Click for a larger version.
==Meta/Further Reading==
* Why do artists refuse to use references why why why. (Archive.org backup, saved 2020-05-09)
* Ask the Artist: Daggomus Prime
* Imitation
* Pastiche
* Photorealism
* screenshot redraw
==References==
Category:Visual Art