Photographic comics
From Webcomic Wiki
Photographic comics are comics in which the images are photographs. Variations include comics in which the images are completely photographic, such as A Softer World by Joey Comeau and Emily Horne; comics using collages of different photographic elements, such as Leisure Town by Tristan Farnon; and comics in which photographs are combined with graphic art, such as Barracuda: The Scotty Zaccharine Story by Patrick Farley.
Photographic comics are also often referred to as fumetti, which is an Italian term meaning comics. Fumetti literally means "little clouds of smoke", in reference to speech balloons. However, when used in the English-speaking community, fumetti usually refers to a form of photo comic novels that first experienced massive popularity in Italy.
One subgenre of photographic comic are comics made with photographed toys and action figures. Leisure Town is a very elaborate use of this technique. Other examples include Alien Loves Predator by Bernie Hou and Irregular Webcomic! by David Morgan-Mar.
In recent years, the webcomics medium has embraced photographic comics considerably more than have print comics. This is probably because webcomics are a more open medium, and also because the printing process for full-color photographs is signifigantly more expensive than line art.
Also, the increased use of photo-manipulation applications like Photoshop have made it easier for artists to create refined photographic comics, and have greatly increased the flexibility of photo usage. Digital cameras have at the same time lowered the cost of photography, making the approach more affordable.
Photographic comics are often criticized for being too stiff. Many readers find it difficult to reconcile the photographic images with standard comics devices such as word balloons. But photography combined with other graphic art (such as a painted character against a photo background) do not have this problem to the same degree. Also, conceptual webcomics tend to turn the disadvantages of photographic comics into advantages.
Artists notable for their use of photography include Tristan Farnon, Cat Garza, Neil Kleid, Patrick Farley, Chris Yates, and Joey Comeau and Emily Horne.
