Paintings vs. Photos

[o_caipora]

No: HPFGUIDX 76836

"Hagrid" <aussie_lol at y...> wrote:

> Paintings join in conversattions - Photos act like home videos. 
> Harry's parents would do something more than just wave to him 
> otherwise.
> 
> So can a painting be done post-mortum to have some interaction with 
> those wizards/witches? Could Harry commision a painting to be done 
of 
> James, Lily and Sirius? (or has this been asked before?)
> 

Are there any examples of painting of living persons in the books? 
Can the subject talk to his portrait, or does it only get come alive 
once he's no longer there? Sort of like Katherine Hepburn's biography?

Is Tom Riddle's diary a sort similar to a "portait in words"? Except 
for its vampiric abilities, it's not very dissimilar to a portrait in 
its ability to converse. If it's a similar spell, it show that the 
object captures the subject at his age and knowledge when it's 
created, but it's capable of learning and remembering. 

Where do portraits keep their brains, anyways?

I suspect a post-mortem portrait would be like a any other painting 
from a photograph: with a certain lifeless quality.

 - Caipora