For 'people' portraits I like to work from a combination of life and photos.
I get very uncomfortable forcing someone to sit in one place for hours at a time. On the other hand, photographs are not very reliable when it comes to skin tones and sometimes a photograph just doesn't capture the 'real' person. Therefore I like one life session with the subject during which I will take dozens of photographs and do a few colour sketches. An exception to this is working from a vintage photograph.
For all Koi lovers out there who miss their koi during the winter months, I do 'koi' commissions from photos you provide. The portraits can be individual or I can paint every fish in your pond as long as you provide the photos. Imagine having your koi hanging over the sofa all year! I'll paint shubunkin and goldfish too. I am currently working on a series of koi paintings and they're fun to do and I love the idea of using colour straight from the tube without muting it down. For that, colourful koi are the ideal candidates.
