Vector Diagram or Photo Beading Tutorials?

As someone who puts beading tutorials together to make a little bead money on the side, I try to make my instructions as clear as possible for intermediate and beginning beaders alike. While I was writing my latest pattern though, I ran into a dilemma. Do I use photos or vector diagrams with my instructions and will everyone be able to clearly understand what I am trying to illustrate?

In this post, I would like to discuss a few pros and cons of bead diagrams and photos that I've personally run into, and hopefully help those of you who are considering making your own. There are other ways, such as video tutorials, but my focus here will be on these two methods.