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Why does it have to be either/or?
I love photos, they sit so still and so patiently for you. But it took a painting of some peaches from 'life' for me to see the limitations of photography. I took a photo of the still-life setup in case the kids accidentally disturbed it, and was surprised by how flat it looked next to the real thing. All the lush color was flat in the photo. (try it, could be just my lack of camera sense!) That was a lightbulb moment for me. Now, I encourage my clients to give me a couple of hours and sit for a color study and use that together with the reference photo(s). Just that little bit is a big help.
Michele, I say: "A painted portrait has more presence than a photograph." 'Presence' in the sense of there being someone there. For me anyway, photos can seem so stagnant compared to a well-painted portrait.
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