Pictures shouldn’t be used unless there’s really no choice such as in an overseas shidduch.
That doesn’t mean I’ve never seen one for a shidduch redt to one of my children. In one instance the photo (provided to me by a third party, not the Shadchen) the girl looked great, but when I saw her IRL (at a wedding after the shidduch didn’t materialize – nothing officially set up) I noticed she had a slight hunch. I’m not implying that scoliosis should break a shidduch, just that photos do not show the full picture (pun intended) even where looks are concerned.
Similarily I know of a case where the other party desperately wanted a photo first for practical reasons, but when they couldn’t get one and the parents actually saw the suggested person, decided he/she was too short/tall. This person is actually of average height, and it’s almost impossible to judge height to that degree on a photo. So mostly, it’s a waste of time.