[peeptoe Posts: 4 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

This is a general question but I have noticed that almost all children's picture books use drawings and millustrations and very few use actual photographs. Is there a reason for this? When I was a child a lot of the picture books I had were illustrated with photos and I loved them! Are they unpopular with publishers? I'd love to know. Thanks!

[JodyJS Posts: 1,307 Status: Offline Who you gonna call? EMERGENCY KITTENS! WWW]

These days, photo-illustration is mostly reserved for nonfiction texts. Fiction PBs typically use illustrations.

[peeptoe Posts: 4 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

Thanks for the reply. So it's not impossible to use photos in a fictional picture book, just more unusual?

[JodyJS Posts: 1,307 Status: Offline Who you gonna call? EMERGENCY KITTENS! WWW]

That would be up to the publisher, unless you're self-publishing.

[Eileen Kennedy-Moore Posts: 78 Status: Offline Award-winning books for kids and parents WWW]

Some PBs have combined photos and illustration in interesting ways.

[Kell Posts: 1,197 Status: Offline On the other hand WWW]

The recent bestsellers The Sheepover, The Christmas Wish, and the older Stranger in the Woods use photos/photo illustrations. Interestingly, the Sheepover and SITW both were originally self-published, with The Sheepover getting picked up by Little Brown after it became popular. This might suggest that readers like photos more than art directors do. I tried but failed to find a post last year (Nerdy Book Club? Mr. Schu?) with new picture books using photos, but I remember that most of the photos were of constructions, like Terry Border's Peanut Butter and Cupcake or Marcel the Shell. I remember one had photos of little fabric birds and one had photos of gorgeous cut paper creations -- maybe someone else can supply the titles.

[janae-stubbs Posts: 32 Status: Offline]

Mo Willems uses a combination of photographs and illustration in his Knuffle Bunny books, but he is an author-illustrator. And he already had some weight to his name before those came out, so I'm not sure.

[Anne Marie Posts: 2,855 Status: Offline VAMPIRINA season 3 is on Disney Junior now! WWW]

Photos seem dated really, really fast because of hair styles and clothing.  Obviously that wouldn't affect books like Tana Hoban's OF COLORS AND THINGS or other similar books, but photos of real kids aren't as enduring.  <-- That is a generalization.  Obviously there are some titles where that's not true.

[peeptoe Posts: 4 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

Thanks all for great feedback. I have a style of creating dioramas which I photograph and then adapt in Photoshop so all this is encouraging. Good point about looking dated! I don't plan to have photos of any people/children just objects/figures. Really helpful. I'm going to look up the books everyone has mentioned!

[DianeBailey Posts: 8 Status: Offline]

I remember when I was a kid I was NOT interested in the books with photographs, because then I knew my mom was trying to trick me into reading non-fiction. (How I ended up a non-fiction writer is another story, I guess.)

To me, a photograph is a factual (and thus non-negotiable) representation of something, whereas an illustration is evocative and open to all manner of interpretation. So much of fiction is about putting yourself into a story and imagining/reenvisioning various aspects of it, and I think illustrations lend themselves to that much better.

Of course, I'm not saying there aren't instances where photographs couldn't work--just that that's strongly where my preference lies. Also, I do kind of like the mixed-media approach, for example an illustration of a girl carrying a suitcase that is a photograph. Or an illustrated boy against a photographed landscape. Something like that. 

[Vijaya Posts: 7,129 Status: Online Encourage WWW]

Although I see a lot of NF books with photographs, I haven't seen very many fiction PBs with photographs, but those that I have are beautiful with nature photography and a storyline. One book was very cute about a squirrel's adventures. I'm sorry I can't remember either the title nor the author/photographer now but she had pictures of squirrels that she waited and waited to snap. Some of them had specific objects, clearly placed where a squirrel might investigate it ... but a labor of love. I've also seen pictures of dioramas elaborating a story ... so it's definitely doable and sounds like so much fun, Peeptoe. Good luck with it.

Vijaya

[peeptoe Posts: 4 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

Thanks guys! I m going to give it a go, no flat literal photos, no chance of mistaking it for a non fiction! I'm fiction all the way! Great support from this forum , thanks!

[thunderingelephants Posts: 1,262 Status: Offline]

I would agree with everyone here, except to add that photographs kind of finalise things somewhat. Even with illustration in books, they are open to interpretation by the reader:children (and adults) notice things in an illustration that they might miss in a photograph. Maybe I am wrong but I feel that a reader might see something different on a personal level.
Also, photographs have a touch of finalization and could detract from the plot more than illustrations do.
I am probably wrong on that one too.

[Debbie Vilardi Posts: 6,937 Status: Offline Language is so cool! WWW]

I know other illustrators who photograph clay figures or dioramas. The illustration style isn't considered photography alone. That's like saying stop motion animation is photography or just sculpture. Here's a link to the agency page for my friend Mary Bono:  http://www.hermanagencyinc.com/mary_bono.htm

Others photograph cut paper. This is out there. You just have to look for it. After all, all of the art gets digitized for publication and photos or scans are the first step in that process.

Go for it.

[Josiecv Posts: 40 Status: Offline WWW]

I just came across the cover of this book and immediately thought of this thread. Although, maybe it's nonfiction? Either way, ridiculously adorable!

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/614ZGsEchrL._SY497_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

[sheree-richnow Posts: 1 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

I chose to use actual photos in my new children's picture book, "Dixie the Rescue Dog Makes New Friends," because it's non-fiction. I was able to use everyday photos of my dog that captured her personality.  The photos are what inspired me to write the book in the first place. When asking for feedback, beta readers unanimously agreed the photos made the story real and discouraged me from having it illustrated.

While at Barnes and Noble the other day, I took a couple of photographs of the massive children's picture book section. All the books were beautifully illustrated with vibrant colors and adorable fonts, but the sea of images started to blend together. I was on visual overload! I can't imagine how that level of unlimited choice affects our children. How do they choose?  As adults, how do we choose for them?

I would be interested to know if there's any documentable research that says children are more or less attracted to actual photographs in picture books. If anyone knows, please share.

The truth is, time will tell. Ultimately, sales will be the primary indicator. For now, I'm willing to take a chance on my intuition. I think my book will stand out on the crowded shelves.  The book will be out by December 1, 2022, and is available through Ingram Book Company. I welcome your feedback.

[Debbie Vilardi Posts: 6,937 Status: Offline Language is so cool! WWW]

Sheree, non-fiction is often photo illustrated. Concept books often use photos also. In fiction, illustration is more likely. In part, this is because characters and settings are imaginary though they may be based on real people and places.  It wouldn't be possible to photo illustrate a book where the main character is an animal who behaves like a human, for example.

[ken-holden Posts: 1 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

I agree. As I fine art photographer I have recently self-published two children's PB books using photography to illustrate the visual narrative.

[HaroldU Posts: 835 Status: Offline Exec. Editor, Kane Press WWW]

Thanks all for great feedback. I have a style of creating dioramas which I photograph and then adapt in Photoshop so all this is encouraging. Good point about looking dated! I don't plan to have photos of any people/children just objects/figures. Really helpful. I'm going to look up the books everyone has mentioned!

I just want to say, as an editor, that I feel this is an entirely viable approach. If you want examples, see this fall's Come On In! There's a Party in this Book by Jamie Michalak, with charming diorama illustrations by Sabine Timm.